Hyderabad: The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority has objected to the freebies being offered by manufacturing companies. Some manufacturers offer three stents free on the purchase of ten, and the Authority has asked all drug controllers to keep a watch on nursing homes, hospitals and institutions that buy stents.
Drug controllers say that when manufacturers or importers make these offers, they do not adhere to the 8 percent margin that they are required to maintain for stents. In practice, the stents are not sold at the price that has been fixed by the government. A senior drug controller said, “When these offers are made, low price stents are given at higher prices, and the 8 percent trade margin is not maintained.”
According to an order effective from February 14, 2017, drug eluting stents are priced at Rs 30,000 per piece, and bare metal stents are priced at Rs 7,500 per piece. Manufacturers have been given an 8 per cent margin.
The drug controller said, “We have conducted a meeting with all hospitals, nursing homes and institutions, and have asked them to stick to the approved prices. Variations will lead to action by the Department. We are randomly checking the bills of patients, as the proper price has to be mentioned in the bill.”
