Need to revisit price cap on knee implants: MTaI

Medical device makers body Medical Technology Association of India (MTaI) today said it has asked the national drug pricing regulator NPPA to revisit decision to implement price controls on knee implants.
It also expressed concern over the manner in which the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has moved to cap the prices of knee implants.
In its representation to NPPA, MTaI said it has requested the regulator to reconsider the decision of imposing price ceiling as it had not considered appropriate categorisation of the implants while fixing the prices.
About the NPPA's order of August 25 mentioning that knee implant ceiling prices should be inclusive of bone cement charges, MTaI said bone cement is a separate component not manufactured by all orthopaedic knee manufacturers.

"This perhaps is the first time that the price of one drug is embedded into the price of another drug, when both the drugs are commercially available as packaged and finished goods of respective manufacturers, and governed separately under the D&C Act," MTaI said in a statement.