Fortis row: Regulator who said hospitals inflated drug prices transferred

The NPPA conducted its analysis after Gurgaon's Fortis Healthcare charged the family of seven-year-old Adya Singh, a dengue patient, Rs 1.6 million for a 15-day stay and treatment.

On March 1, 2018, Bhupendra Singh, the head of the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) with a year of his tenure left, was transferred to the National Authority for Chemical Weapons Convention, sparking protests from pro-access activists. They alleged that an “industry and hospital lobby”–mainly large multinational pharmaceutical companies and corporate hospitals–was behind the transfer.

The NPPA is the government agency responsible for setting prices of drugs and ensuring drug availability. Singh had been at its helm since 2016, and under his