After cardiac stents and orthopaedic implants, is it time for medicines price cut?

Published on: Aug 17, 2017, 20:57:22 IST

By Rhythma Kaul

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Doctor body writes to NPPA to look into cutting prices of expensive medicines (Shutterstock)

Patented drugs for cancer are exorbitantly priced in the market, making it unaffordable for many

After cardiac stents and knee implants, patented medicines and medical equipment could be next in line for price cut.

Alliance of Doctors for Ethical Healthcare (ADEH) had submitted a detailed document regarding the prices of various types of implants and medicines to the chairman of the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) on June 29, which the body claims resulted in NPPA reducing prices of orthopedic implants on Wednesday.

Several organizations including ADEH, All India Drug Action Network (AIDAN) and Indian Doctors for Peace and Development (IDPD) had been campaigning for price reduction of pharma products since long.

Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilisers, department of pharmaceuticals last year had uploaded a report on their website seeking public comments on the issue of increase in prices of medicines, especially generics.

“Time has come now that the price of medicines and other medical appliances should be streamlined on the pattern of coronary stents and orthopaedic implants,” said ADEH said in a statement.

“We have learnt that the government formed a committee to review the medicine prices which has recommended substantial reduction in prices of medicines… We demand that this report should be made public immediately. The government should formulate a trade policy for the pharmaceutical products,” the statement said.

According to these experts, the closure of pharmaceutical public sector units like IDPL, HAL etc. is a set back because these units produced cheap bulk drugs not only for India but also for other countries.

“Government should strengthen its units if price reduction has to be ultimately made effective.”

On the reports that the benefits of the reduction of stent prices has not reached the end user because the institutions have increase their procedure charges, these experts demanded that a monitoring system should be evolved by the government to check this malpractice.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rhythma Kaul
Rhythma Kaul is the national health editor of the Hindustan Times. She has been reporting on public health, medicine, and medical research, with a particular focus on how government decisions and health system reforms shape people’s lives. Rhythma has over 25 years of journalistic experience. She joined Hindustan Times in 2008, and has since covered everything from pandemics and infectious diseases to cutting‑edge medical research and climate‑related health challenges. Her stories routinely track the work of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, department of pharmaceuticals, and key national health programmes, making complex medical science and policy accessible to a wide audience. One of her prominent news breaks has been the 2012 Baby Falak case: A two-year-old brutally battered baby girl was admitted to AIIMS-Delhi with severe head injuries, multiple fractures, human bite marks, and burns. The police investigation revealed this to be a case of multi-state human-trafficking racket. She was profiled by The Wall Street Journal for breaking this story. Rhythma holds a Master’s degree from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi. Prior to Hindustan Times, she worked with the India Today Group. Rhythma can be contacted at rhythma.kaul@hindustantimes.com. Her X handle is @RamblingBrook.Read More

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