Govt meets stent makers to ensure availability

The government has held a meeting with stent makers and importers to review its availability in market amid reports that artificial scarcity is being created in the garb of withdrawing the device for price relabelling.
There are reports of shortages of stents in hospitals after the government reduced their prices by up to 85 per cent by capping rates of bare metal stents at Rs 7,260 and drug- eluting ones at Rs 29,600 on February 13.
"The government held a meeting with all domestic stent manufacturers as well as all the importers and their associations. They have all assured that the supplies would be maintained and no shortage will be allowed to develop. There is enough stock," Pharma Secretary Jai Priye Prakash told PTI.

It was also decided that if needed, a separate meeting with associations and bodies of hospitals will be called with the assistance of health secretary to sensitise the hospitals too, he added.
Senior officials of Department of Pharma and NPPA had met the stent manufacturers and importers to review the availability of stents in the market, amid reports of artificial scarcity being created in the garb of withdrawing stents for re-labelling of prices.
"We are keeping an eye on all those who are engaging in unethical practices such as creating artificial shortage of stents, not abiding by the fixed ceiling price etc, against whom strict action will be taken," Prakash had earlier said.

The Department of Pharmaceuticals has already written separately to NPPA, DCGI and Healthy Ministry requesting them to take "necessary action" to curb artificial shortage.