NPPA revises ceiling prices of 923 scheduled drug formulations from April 1

The Department of Pharmaceuticals on Sunday issued its annual list of revised ceiling prices for 923 scheduled drug formulations and revised retail prices of 65 formulations.

The revised ceiling rates are scheduled to come into effect from April 1.

The revision in ceiling and retail prices comes after the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) announced a 0.00551 per cent increase in prices of drugs included in the National List of Essential Drugs (NLEM), on the basis of changes in the wholesale price index (WPI).

“Based on the wholesale price index (WPI) data provided by the Office of the Economic Advisor, Department of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the annual change in the WPI works out as +0.00551 per cent during the calendar year 2023, over the corresponding period in 2022,” the drug pricing regulator had stated in an office memorandum dated March 26.

With the changes, manufacturers may now increase the maximum retail price (MRP) of scheduled formulations on the basis of WPI, without needing any prior approval from the government in this regard.

The formulations in the new revised rate list include essential drugs such as painkillers, antivirals, antibiotics, antimalarials, and drugs for type 2 diabetes.

Painkiller drug Diclofenac will now have a ceiling price of Rs 2.05 per tablet, whereas Ibuprofen tablets will be priced at Rs 0.71 and Rs 1.20 per tablet for its 200 mg and 400 mg dosage versions respectively.

Commonly used antibiotic azithromycin will now have a ceiling price of Rs 11.65 and Rs 23.57 per tablet for its 250 mg and 500 mg versions respectively, whereas antibacterial dry syrups having a formulation of amoxicillin and clavulanic acid will have a ceiling price of Rs 2.05 per millilitre (ml).

Antivirals such as acyclovir will have a ceiling price of Rs 7.61 and Rs 13.66 per tablet for its 200 mg and 400 mg dosages. Similarly, antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine will have a ceiling price of Rs 6.36 and Rs 13.8 per tablet for its 200 mg and 400 mg dosage versions respectively.

Combination of dapagliflozin, metformin hydrochloride (extended release), and glimepiride tablets for type 2 diabetes will be priced around Rs 13.24 per tablet, while the sitagliptin phosphate, metformin hydrochloride, and glimepiride combination drug will be priced at Rs 14 per tablet.

Bendamustine hydrochloride, an injectable antineoplastic agent used for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, will now have a ceiling price of Rs 4,946 per vial.

The revision of ceiling prices is a routine exercise undertaken by the NPPA. The drug pricing regulator is vested with the responsibility of fixing and revising prices of pharmaceutical products, enforcing provisions of the Drug Price Control Order (DPCO), and monitoring the prices of both controlled and decontrolled drugs.