Marginal cut in coronary stents price, NPPA announces new rates

The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority has announced revised rates for the Coronary stents. Trade margin capped at 8 per cent is set to make it more affordable.

There was a lot of pressure on the government from MNCs to lift capping. The other good news is that there will be no sub categories in DES.

Modi government has capped stent prices last February, giving relief to millions of cardiac patients.

This was the first review of the decision. Prices to be effective for one year. Present price of the Drug Eluting Stent (DES) is Rs 30,180, while the traditional Bare Metal Stent (BMS) comes cheaper at Rs 7,400.

Under the new price regime to be effective for the next one year, the DES has been priced at Rs 27,890 ex GST while BMS will be Rs 7660 ex GST. Another important decision in favour of patients is that no sub categories in DES have been permitted.

Also, to check hospitals from fleecing patients in the medical devices price of catheters etc will have to be mentioned in billing separately.

The All India Drug Action Network ( AIDAN) has welcomed the new rates. In its press release, AIDAN said, "We are glad that the government did not cave to massive pressure that was being exerted by the industry for differential pricing without any scientific basis."

"We are further encouraged that the NPPA has shared data on the huge trade margins involved in catheters, balloons, and guidewires, expansion of price control to these devices is a necessary step to making procedures like angioplasty/angiogram more affordable and accessible to patients," it further said.

AIDAN has also demanded that the NPPA should write to the CCI to conduct an investigation on the large hospital chains for abusing their dominant position and overcharging for angioplasties post the price cap.

The RSS affiliate, Swadeshi Jagaran Manch has also welcomed the revision of rates.

"SJM takes this opportunity to congratulate NPPA to make public the data about trade margins on some other medical devices and consumables, as expected the trade margins for catheters, balloons and guidewires are extraordinarily high, we ask that these devices are immediately put under price control," said Dr Ashwani Mahajan of the SJM.