NPPA's latest price cap: More cancer, HIV drugs to become cheaper

 Drug pricing watchdog National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has slashed by up to 35 per cent the prices of several essential medicines, including those to treat cancers and HIV infections. In its latest notification, the body has capped the price of antibiotic doxycycline (100mg) and revised the ceiling prices of 23 medicines already included in the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM). 

Patients using these drugs should see a drop of anywhere between 10 per cent­ 35 per cent in the prices of these medicines, NPPA told ET. 

The list includes drugs like Melphalan (2mg) and Melphalan (5mg), which are indicated for the treatment of multiple myeloma (a type of blood cancer), cancer of the ovaries and breast cancer. Chlorambucil (2mg), another tablet used to slow the growth of certain cancer cells in the body, also figures in the list. 

NPPA has also revised the ceiling prices of antiretroviral drugs Zidovudine (300mg) and the Lamivudine (150mg) + Zidovudine (300mg) combination, which are used in the treatment of HIV infections. 

"The manufacturers not complying with the ceiling price and notes specified here in above shall be liable to deposit the overcharged amount along with interest thereon under the provisions of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013 read with Essential Commodities Act, 1955," stated NPPA in its notification dated July 30. 

By March­end, pharmaceutical companies owed NPPA dues that exceeded Rs 4,551­ crore for overcharging patients. This amount had piled up over the past two decades.