Drug price regulator, the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has fixed the ceiling price of 92 drug formulations used for treatment of cancer, hepatitis C, migraine and diabetes among others. The prices have been fixed/ revised under the Drug (Prices Control) Order (DPCO), 2013.
The authority has mentioned that out of total, the retail price of 72 scheduled formulations has been fixed, that of 9 has been revised. It has also revised the retail prices of 11 scheduled formulations. Under the Drugs (Prices Control) Order (DPCO) 2013, it fixes ceiling price of essential medicines of Schedule I based on simple average of all medicines in a particular therapeutic segment with sales of more than 1%.
In respect of medicines not under price control, manufacturers are allowed to increase the maximum retail price by 10% annually. Set up in 1997, NPPA has been entrusted with the task of fixation/revision of prices of pharma products, enforcement of provisions of DPCO and monitoring of prices of controlled and decontrolled drugs.