How is the draft pharma policy revamping drug price regulation?

The policy proposes an overhaul of the NNPA's role which will weaken the autonomy of the body

The draft pharmaceutical policy has been recently circulated by the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DOP) to a select group of organisations. Its concerns are spread across at least three ministries – DOP, health and commerce, the last for issues related to patents. The Wire earlier reported on the range of issues it aims to cover including the quality of Indian drugs, time taken for drug approval and reducing dependence on China for raw materials.

The draft policy spends a lot of bytes on India’s drug price regulator, the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA). So let us focus on that