Govt bars Abbott from withdrawing stent to maintain uninterrupted supply

Last month Abbott globally withdrew its bioresorbable stent Absorb citing commercial reasons

The  Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) has barred drug maker Abbott from withdrawing its Xience Alpine coronary stent from the market. The government move comes following its directive to companies to maintain an uninterrupted supply of stents.

The DoP order effectively sets aside the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority's (NPPA) decision to allow Abbott to withdraw the Xience Alpine stent for commercial reasons. In an order earlier this week the NPPA allowed Abbott to withdraw the stent over one-year period after issuing a public notice for the same.

In its office memorandum on Friday, DoP said that it had on Wednesday invoked