NPPA fixes retail prices for 41 drug combinations, including empagliflozin

The NPPA has capped prices for 41 drug combinations including diabetes, cholesterol, and sleep disorder treatments, citing steep price drops and growing generic availability

The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has fixed the retail prices of 41 drug combinations, including 18 variants of the off-patent diabetes drug empagliflozin, originally developed by German pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim.

 

The move follows the expiry of empagliflozin’s patent on March 11, which opened the market to multiple generic versions by pharmaceutical companies. The launch of these variants has led to a significant 80 to 85 per cent drop in prices, prompting regulatory action to fix retail rates.

 

Last month, the authority had fixed retail prices for another 36 variants and combinations of empagliflozin.

 

The updated list includes anti-diabetic combinations involving empagliflozin with linagliptin, glimepiride, sitagliptin, and metformin hydrochloride, manufactured and marketed by pharmaceutical companies such as Blue Cross Laboratories, Torrent Pharma, Cadila, Glenmark, and Alkem Laboratories.

   

It also includes a combination of clindamycin and nicotinamide gel, which is used to treat acne, and multivitamin tablets containing iron, folic acid, and cyanocobalamin syrup. 

 

The authority is responsible for regulating pharmaceutical product prices under the Drug Price Control Order (DPCO). The price revisions were approved during the 133rd meeting of the NPPA, held on May 29.

 

The authority also fixed retail prices for medications such as atorvastatin and ezetimibe tablets (used for cholesterol control) and sleeping pills that include a combination of melatonin and zolpidem tartrate.

 

The NPPA notification also stated that any manufacturer or marketing company failing to comply with the fixed retail prices would be required to deposit the overcharged amount, along with applicable interest, under the relevant provisions.

 

The fixation and revision of ceiling and retail prices is a routine exercise undertaken by the NPPA, which is tasked with enforcing the provisions of the DPCO, regulating both controlled and decontrolled drug prices, and ensuring the affordability of essential medicines.