Chemists' association seeks meeting with NPPA over price display issue

The chemists' lobby, representing almost 1.2 million pharmacists in the country, has sought a meeting with National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) over the issue of displaying the drug price list at chemist shops, terming it as “mammoth task” to compile the prices of hundreds and thousands of brands.

 

They are also preparing to send a memorandum to the national pharma pricing regulator.

 

The NPPA, in an office memorandum (OM) dated February 4, had directed medicine retailers as well as online pharmacies to “conspicuously” display current drug price list according to the Drug Price Control Order (DPCO) 2013. The NPPA said that dealers and even online pharmacies will have to from now on comply with the provisions of Para 24 and 25 of the DPCO, 2013. Any violation is punishable under Section 7 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955.

 

“We are drafting a memorandum and plan to send it to the NPPA. Meanwhile, we are also seeking a time slot to have a meeting with them. It is virtually impossible to implement the recent order at chemist shops,” said Rajiv Singhal, general secretary of the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD).

 

He explained that there are thousands of medicine manufacturers and hundreds and thousands of brands that sell in the country and it would be a mammoth task to compile the prices of all medicines and then display them in the stores. Most stores, he said, are of the size of 144 square feet or so.

 

Singhal further said that there could be a central website (by the government) where manufacturers can update prices from time to time and customers can check the prices if they wish to.

 

Online pharmacies that Business Standard contacted said that they are studying the order closely.

 

Para 24 of the DPCO, 2013 states that every manufacturer should issue a price list (in Form V or Form VI) to the dealers, state drug controllers and the government indicating reference to price fixation or revision as covered by gazette notification by the government from time to time. Further, every retailer, and dealer should display this price list as furnished by the manufacturer on a ‘conspicuous part of the premises’ where he carries on business such that it is easily accessible to any person wishing to consult the same.

 

Para 25 of DPCO 2013 also has similar provisions for non-scheduled drugs. NPPA fixes prices for scheduled drugs in the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) and for non-scheduled drugs companies can take an annual rise of 10 per cent. NLEM covers 384 drugs covering around 870 formulations.

 

Para 25 mentions that price list for the non-scheduled drugs to also be displayed in a conspicuous part of the premises. It also covers the virtual or electronic premises where a retailer or dealer carries on business.