NPPA asks drug cos to ensure adherence to price control norms

National drug pricing regulator NPPA today asked pharma firms to ensure that prices of all their drugs have been fixed correctly by following provisions of drug price control order by the end of next month.
Companies must "self check, self correct and self report violations of law if any by June 30, 2017", National Pharmaceutical Pricing Regulator (NPPA) tweeted.
The regulator, which had earlier put up names of companies that didn't follow pricing norms on its website, also said it has withdrawn the list after 'discomfort' expressed by pharma firms.
NPPA said all pharma companies on their own must check their entire portfolio and see whether prices of all scheduled /non-scheduled and new drugs have been fixed correctly, as per the provisions of DPCO 2013 and take necessary action by June 30, 2017.

In case of new drugs, if prior price approval has not been taken, the companies are requested to complete their Integrated Pharmaceutical DataBase Management System (IPDMS) filing and submit their applications for price approval, NPPA said.
The regulator also asked the pharma associations to contemplate the reasons for such violation and complete their database of IPDMS.
NPPA had earlier this month asked the companies, which included Alkem Laboratories, Glenmark Pharma, Lupin, Novartis India, Sanofi India, Wockhardt, Unichem, Zydus Cadila, Glaxosmithkline Pharma, among others, to furnish batch-wise production and sales details along with corresponding MRP along with reasons for non-compliance of norms by June 15.

The regulator is also holding meetings on June 1-2 with pharma associations on GST and uninterrupted supply of drugs and other issues of pharma sector.