KOCHI: The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), under the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Government of India, which on February 13 fixed the ceiling prices of coronary stents, has now issued instructions to the stent making companies to notify the prices of stents so as to prevent exploitation. The NPPA office memorandum issued on February 16 says that “the provisions of paragraph 24 of the DPCO, 2013, cast an obligation on the part of manufacturers to ensure compliance with the prices fixed or revised by the NPPA, from date of price notification(s) by issuing a revised price list or supplementary price list, if required, in Form-V to dealers, retailers and copy may be forwarded to State Drug Controllers and the Government within 15 days from the date of notification.”
The NPPA has asked the firms to email the price lists to dealers and retailers. The manufacturers are also required to follow electronic submission of such price list online through integrated pharmaceutical database management system of the NPPA. The NPPA has made it clear that the manufacturers and retailers have to comply with notified prices from date of notification in sale of all available stocks including pre-manufactured batches. The NPPA has also warned them against creating artificial shortages of stents and authorised State Governments and State Drug Controllers to proceed against them in such cases.
It is also learnt that in order to overcome the setback inflicted by the regulation of the stent prices, the private hospitals have initiated steps to jack up the cost of angioplasty. “It is for the government to rein this in so that real benefit reaches the patients,” said health activist K.M. Gopakumar. He also said that the act of hospitals selling stents to patients should be curtailed. “They have no right to play the role of a retailer. Every industry is regulated by the government except hospitals,” Gopakumar said.
