Drugs pricing row: HC extends relief to Cipla Ltd till Aug 27

Delhi High Court today extended the operation of its earlier order asking the Centre not to take coercive steps against pharma major Cipla Ltd which was told to replace stocks in the market with those carrying reduced prices within 45 days of new price notification.
The Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers through the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) had issued the 2013 Drug Price Control Order (DPCO) that had asked pharma companies, including Cipla, to reduce prices of some of their medicines and the decreased prices be made effective on the drugs which are already in the market.
Earlier, a bench headed by Acting Chief Justice B D Ahmed had granted interim relief to Cipla asking the Ministry and others not take coercive steps in view of the fact that date of implementation of the 2013 order was ending on July 29.

The bench, also comprising Justice Vibhu Bakhru, today extended the relief till August 27 - the next date of hearing.
Meanwhile, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd and the Confederation of Indian Pharmaceutical Industry (CIPI) also moved the court against the new pricing policy. The court issued notices on the pleas and asked the Centre and others to respond by the next date of hearing.
Earlier, pharma major Cipla had challenged a government order asking it to reduce prices of its 125 drugs within 45 days of issuance of the notification.

Giving the relief, the court had asked the firm to supply the revised price list of regulated medicines to its distributors, suppliers and retailers.

The Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers, had on May 15 issued a notification to implement the order asking pharma companies to reduce prices of 348 medicines.
The DPCO also asked them to replace stocks in the market with those carrying reduced maximum retail price within 45 days of the new price notification by the NPPA.