Dept of Pharma mulls mechanism to check dodging of price control

The Department of Pharma is evaluating mechanisms to keep a check on companies trying to dodge price control, recently implemented by the government.

The move comes in the wake of a Parliamentary Standing Committee report asking the government to identify such drug makers who are changing or tweaking composition of essential medicines to flout the price control. The panel has also recommended that the department should take stringent action against such companies, in consultation with the heath ministry.

Companies often tweak composition of medicines or change their strength to dodge price control. Often, companies also opt to bring out their products from the purview of Drugs and Cosmetics Act by adding food related substitutes to the same.

However, the government fails to take action against such firm because of overlapping of powers and laws in between various ministries and departments such as Ministry of Health and Department of Pharma.