The move by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) to reduce the prices of 35 essential medicines marks a welcome and commendable step towards making healthcare more affordable across the vast stretches of the country. It is good that the centre has finally acknowledged that populations were under severe pressure due to rising prices of essential medicines used in treating ailments starting from cardiovascular diseases and diabetes to various contagions.
To be more specific, the 35 drugs which have been considered for capping their prices include anti-inflammatory, cardiovascular, antibiotic, anti-diabetic, psychiatric, and paediatric formulations. This necessary move will specially help the patients belonging to marginalized sections, who are dependent on lifelong medication and confront various issues due to the high cost of their daily medicine.
No doubt, the measure has ensured affordable medication for many but what is more important is that this ‘gesture’ should not be allowed to remain isolated intervention as a lot more has to be accomplished to make healthcare in the country convenient, affordable and reachable also. It is equally important that the concerned quarters work on expanding the scope of the list comprising essential drug formulations and review the existing prices more frequently. No chance should be missed to provide such reliefs to the people in the country as every single step in this direction will help the public to counter ever increasing inflation with added ease.
The government should also take pain in ensuring that people must know about the cut in prices of medicines so that they can avail the benefit. Stricter market surveillance can be a good option to make sure that benefit offered must reach the last man in the queue. Key formulations covered under the price capping include combinations of Aceclofenac, Paracetamol, Trypsin Chymotrypsin, Amoxycillin-Clavulanate, Atorvastatin-Clopidogrel, and advanced oral anti-diabetics like Empagliflozin, Sitagliptin, and Metformin.
It has also been notified that non-compliance could lead to penalties under the DPCO, 2013, and the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, including recovery of overcharged amounts with interest. The NPPA clarified that the notified prices exclude GST, which may be added as applicable. Further, the manufacturers have been asked to update price lists via the Integrated Pharmaceutical Database Management System and notify both NPPA and state regulators.
