Drug price regulator NPPA has revised the prices of six essential drugs, including the ones used for treatment of irritable bowel syndrome, and fixed the rate of one medicine.
It has revised the prices of Dicyclomine injection, Erythromycin Estolate, Chloroquine Phosphate and their various strengths.
Besides, it has fixed the price of P-PPi-L capsules which are used for treating acidity. “The NPPA has fixed/revised ceiling prices/retail prices of seven scheduled formulations of Schedule-I under Drugs (Price Control) Amendment Order,2016 under DPCO, 2013,” the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) said in a notification on Thursday.
As stipulated under the Drugs (Prices Control) Order (DPCO) 2013, the NPPA fixes ceiling price of essential medicines of Schedule I.
In respect of medicines not under price control, manufacturers are allowed to increase the maximum retail price by 10 per cent annually. The calculation for essential drugs is based on the simple average of all medicines in a particular therapeutic segment with sales of more than 1 per cent.
The government had notified the DPCO 2013 with effect from May 15, 2014, replacing the 1995 order that regulated prices of only 74 bulk drugs.
Set up in 1997, NPPA has been entrusted with the task of fixing and revising prices of pharma products, enforcement of provisions of DPCO and monitoring the prices of controlled and decontrolled drugs.