NPPA fixes prices of 81 drugs, insulin gets cheaper

The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has brought more than 81 drug formulations, including those for diabetes, under price control by fixing their retail prices.

The Indian drug price regulator has fixed the price of a tablet of anti-diabetes drug vildagliptin and metformin 50mg/500 mg at Rs 6.86. The generic versions cost around Rs 8-10 a tablet. Vildagliptin went off patent in 2019.

Three prominent human insulin and anti-stroke drugs were brought under price control after their five-year exemption period lapsed. These three formulations include insulin injection 200IU/ml and
‘70 percent isophane insulin Human suspension + 30 percent insulin injection 200IU/ml for Wockhardt at Rs 106.65 per ml each excluding GST and Prasugrel Hydrochloride 10 mg as film-coated Aspirin 75 mg as enteric-coated capsule for Torrent Pharmaceuticals at Rs 20.16 per capsule, excluding GST with effect from March 17, 2021. Both the medicines were being sold at MRP of Rs 132.50 per ml and Rs 27.26 per capsule.

Prasugrel is used in preventing blood clots.

NPPA had granted price exemption for these formulations to the respective  companies under Para 32 of the ‘Drug Prices Control Order (DPCO), 2013

The regulators also fixed the ceiling prices of two other scheduled formulations—anti-infective formulation povidone iodine 7.5 percent scrub and Levo-Thyroxine 37.5mg tablet used in the treatment of thyroid related diseases, bringing down the prices considerably.

Revision in existing ceiling prices of scheduled formulations based on the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) was also approved by the authority. The revised prices will be effective from April, 2021.

The WPI inflation was at 0.54 percent during the calender year 2020 over the corresponding period in 2019.