Drug price monitoring cells across India planned

The government plans to set up monitoring cells across the country to keep a watch on price movements, collections and availability of drugs.
The move follows a proposal to the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers by drug price regulator National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) which suggested revision of the existing scheme of consumer awareness and publicity through various forms of media.
The proposal has a component for setting up consumer awareness, price monitoring and resource units at states and Union Territories (UTs) with the objective of forging better linkages with the state drug controllers (SDCs), an official statement said.
Most of the state drug controllers have in-principle supported the proposal for setting up the units at states/UTs level. The proposal is yet to be placed before the appropriate Committee for approval, it added.

Stating that the information was given by Minister of State (MOS) in the Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers Hansraj Gangaram Ahir in the Lok Sabha today, it said the units are expected to provide necessary technical assistance to the SDCs and NPPA.
The monitoring cells will assist SDCs and NPPA towards monitoring the notified prices of medicines, price movement, collection and compilation of market based data.
Besides, the cells would also provide help in conducting training, seminars and workshops at the state and district levels for consumer awareness and publicity covering aspects relating to availability of scheduled and non-scheduled medicines at reasonable prices, availability of alternative cheaper medicines, role and function of NPPA, among others, the statement added.