Over 900 essential drugs including those prescribed for the treatment of infections, diabetes, heart diseases among others are set to get costlier from April 1. The prices of these medicines will increase by 1.74 percent.
The prices of all essential medicines are fixed by the government’s National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA). The prices are changed every year in accordance with previous year’s Wholesale Pricing Index (WPI).
“…the annual change in WPI works out as (+) 1.74028% during the calendar year 2024 over the corresponding period in 2023… the manufacturers may increase the maximum retail price of scheduled formulations on the basis of this WPI and no prior approval of the government in this regard shall be required,” the price regulator said in its statement.
Commonly used antibiotic azithromycin will now have a ceiling price of Rs 11.87 and Rs 23.98 per tablet for its 250 milligram (mg) and 500 mg versions respectively, whereas antibacterial dry syrups having a formulation of amoxicillin and clavulanic acid will have a ceiling price of Rs 2.09 per millilitre (ml).
Antivirals such as acyclovir will have a ceiling price of Rs 7.74 and Rs 13.90 per tablet for its 200 mg and 400 mg dosages. Similarly, antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine will have a ceiling price of Rs 6.47 and Rs 14.04 per tablet for its 200 mg and 400 mg dosage versions respectively.
Painkiller drug diclofenac will now have a ceiling price of Rs 2.09 per tablet, whereas ibuprofen tablets will be priced at Rs 0.72 and Rs 1.22 per tablet for its 200 mg and 400 mg dosage versions respectively.
Combination of dapagliflozin, metformin hydrochloride (extended release), and glimepiride tablets for type 2 diabetes will be priced around Rs 12.74 per tablet.
The Economic Times reported that the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has green a this price hike on as many as 1,000 medicines listed in the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM).
The National List of Essential Medicines includes crucial medicines used in different scenarios, including drugs used for anaesthesia, antiallergics, neurological disorders, cardiovascular medicines, and ear, nose, and throat medicines. The list also includes some important and regularly used medicines like paracetamol, azithromycin, anti-anaemia drugs and vitamins as well.
According to the latest notification of NPPA, companies that make stents can revise their prices by 1.74 per cent, in line with the wholesale price index (WPI), from April 1.
The ceiling price on bare-metal stents has been revised to Rs. 10,692.69 and a drug-eluting stent, including bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS)/ biodegradable stent, has been pegged at Rs. 38,933.14.
All the existing manufacturers and importers of coronary stents having maximum retail price (MRP) lower than the ceiling price specified in the latest notification, plus Goods and Services Taxes as applicable, if any, may revise the existing MRP of coronary stent, on the basis of WPI increase for the year 2024 over 2023 in accordance with the relevant Paragraphs of Drugs Prices Control Order (DPCO), 2013, said the Authority.
“As per provisions of Paragraph 16(2) of Drug Price Control order (DPCO) 2013, the manufacturers may increase the maximum retail price (MRP) of scheduled formulations on the basis of this WPI and no prior approval of the government in this regard shall be required,” said the Authority. The Authority may soon publish the revised price effecting the WPI movement for all the scheduled drugs.
The WPI movement during the year is higher as compared to 0.00551 per cent in the previous year.