Medicines To Get Costlier? Why Regulator Approved 50% Hike For Asthma, Glaucoma, Thalassemia, TB Drugs

New Delhi: The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), India’s drug-price regulator, has approved a price increase of over 50 per cent for essential drugs used to treat medical conditions like asthma, glaucoma, thalassemia, tuberculosis, and mental health issues. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the decision was made on October 8, during a full Authority meeting, utilising the extraordinary powers granted under Para 19 of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013.

Why Were The Prices Revised?The NPPA revised the ceiling prices of eight scheduled drugs to meet the “twin objectives of availability and affordability”, the authority claimed in a press release. “Most of these drugs are low-cost and generally used as first-line treatment crucial to the public health programmes of the country.”Eleven formulations for which ceiling prices have been revised include benzylpenicillin (10 lakh IU injection), atropine injection (0.6 mg per ml), streptomycin powder (for injection 750 mg and 1000 mg), salbutamol tablet (2 mg and 4 mg), respirator solution (5 mg per ml), Pilocarpine 2% drops, Cefadroxil tablet (500 mg), Desferrioxamine (500 mg for injection) and Lithium tablets (300 mg).These medications are often used as first-line treatments in public health programs, and the price adjustments aim to prevent shortages or market withdrawal due to production challenges. How Much The Medicines Will Cost Now?The cost of these medicines will range Rs 1.02 per ml solution to Rs 16.25 per ml drop, with the exception of a more expensive Desferroxamine that will cost a little over Rs 280 per vial.Notably, the medicines for which the prices have been increased are not very expensive to begin with. So the 50 per cent increase in ceiling prices is unlikely to hit people very hard. Similar measures were taken in 2019 and 2021, when ceiling prices for 21 and 9 formulations, respectively, were increased by 50 per cent. These interventions highlight the NPPA's ongoing efforts to strike a balance between maintaining drug affordability and ensuring their availability, particularly for treatments that are crucial to the nation's healthcare system.