No proposal to extend price cap to other medical devices, says NPPA chief

Four products, including stents, are categorised as scheduled drugs and NPPA can cap their price

National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) chairman Bhupendra Singh has said there was no proposal "as of now" to extend a price cap to other medical devices.

The government has categorised 22 medical devices as drugs. Among these, four products, including cardiac stents, are categorised as scheduled drugs and NPPA can cap their price under law. In respect of other devices such as catheters, heart valves and intra ocular devices (categorised as non-scheduled drugs), the government allows for a 10 per cent price hike in a year.

While the NPPA is monitoring the prices, fixing those for other devices is not on the agenda, Singh said on Thursday. He met representatives of pharmaceutical companies and hospitals in this city, to understand their concerns on drug pricing and particularly on capping of stent prices.

Singh said all the stents being sold in India will continue to be available. On Wednesday, NPPA rejected requests from device makers Abbott Healthcare and Medtronic to withdraw their products. The government has also directed them to ensure uninterrupted supply for six months, adding they could seek a price revision.

"Companies have a window to seek price revision, based on certain conditions. The window is still open," he said. Boston Scientific and Envision Scientific have made such a representation.

In February, NPPA fixed a ceiling price for stents under Rs 30,000, sparking protest from the industry, which said this was unviable. Companies such as Abbott have been arguing that the government ought to have considered quality and technology aspects before so deciding.

Singh said he was monitoring whether hospitals are following the stent price caps. MPPA is also co-ordinating with insurance companies to see the impact of the price cap on overall health costs.