NPPA caps prices of another 50 drugs

The agency is also planning to cap the prices of 40 other drugs

The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has capped the prices of 50 drugs and revised the prices of four others. This is part of the new drug pricing control order, notified on March 14, which effectively brings 200 more drug formulations under regulation.

NPPA is also planning to cap the prices of 40 other drugs, for which it has asked all the companies to provide requisite information by May 10.

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On Thursday, anti-cancer drug Paclitaxel, sold by around 20 companies in India, saw its price capped at Rs 207 for one unit (one millilitre).

Dr Reddy’s is the largest, with around 23 per cent market share, in this drug’s market, of Rs 100 crore annual sales.

Human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) — a hormone that supports the normal development of an egg in a woman’s ovary, and stimulates the release of the egg during ovulation — got its price capped at Rs 371 a unit (per pack). This drug has annual sale of around Rs 125 crore in India. (TOP 5 DRUGS WHOSE PRICES WERE CAPPED)

Sun Pharmaceutical has about 19 per cent share.

Xylometazoline, a cough medicine where the market is dominated by Novartis (85-95 per cent market share), saw its price capped as well. Anti-constipation drug Lactulose, which has annual sales of at least Rs 200 crore, got its price capped at Rs 0.98 per unit (per millilitre). Abbott dominates this drug’s market with 53 per cent share.

On April 13, the NPPA had capped the prices of 70 drugs. Before that, on March 29, of another 103 drug formulation packs, including those used for treating HIV/AIDS, bacterial infections, tuberculosis, high blood pressure, epilepsy, hepatitis-C and diabetes.

In December 2015, while issuing a new National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM), the government had added 106 and removed 70 medicines from the earlier one of 2011, expanding the list to 376 from 348 earlier. Whenever there is a new NLEM, the government has to issue a new Drug Price Control Order and NPPA needs to set their ceiling prices subsequently.

Based on the new NLEM, the government on March 14 notified the Drugs (Price Control) Amendment Order, 2016. It has 820 formulations. There were 628 formulations under the DPCO of 2013, notified in the wake of the NLEM of 2011.