Medicines’ prices should not escalate: SC

18 Nov 2011 Evaluate

Concerned over rise in prices of medicines, the Supreme Court has tasked central government to ensure that the prices remain at same level post introduction of the proposed Pharma Pricing Policy, 2011. 'Prices should not escalate. There are apprehensions that prices will escalate. In the name of the new policy the prices shall not escalate. Because we have much more consumers in India than other parts of the world,' the court observed.

On January 17, a bench of justices G S Singhvi and S D Mukhopadhyaya posted the matter for further hearing. The Additional Solicitor General Parag Tripathi said that the notification of the new policy would take place only after the Group of Ministers (GoM) takes a decision in about three months time.

The issue came up for hearing during a PIL filed in 2003 by the All India Drugs Action Network and others which had complained that presently around 78 drugs are placed under the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 1995 (DPCO) making rest of the medicines beyond the reach of common man.

In an affidavit, the Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals, however, informed court that it had initiated action for formulating a new policy, in which “348 medicines including in the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM), 2011 and associated medicines will be brought under price control.”

As per the Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals, a draft National Pharmaceutical Pricing Policy 2011 (NPPP-2011) has been circulated among all the stake holders and ministries concerned besides being put on its official website for comments. However, senior counsel Colin Gonzalves representing NGO informed bench that the proposed drug policy was fraught with apprehension of a steep hike and wanted the court to restrain the authorities from taking any step.

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