If there is a heart patient, a diabetic, or someone undergoing treatment for depression or high blood pressure (BP) in your household, this news is highly relevant to you. The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA)—the central government’s drug price regulator—has provided significant relief to patients. The NPPA has fixed the maximum retail prices for 23 new medicines. Following this decision, no medical store or pharmaceutical company will be able to sell these medicines at a price exceeding the prescribed limit.
This new order has been implemented through an official notification issued under the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013 (DPCO-2013). It is important to note that the prices fixed by the NPPA exclude the Goods and Services Tax (GST). This means that when you purchase the medicine from a medical store, the applicable GST will be added separately over and above the fixed price.
Strict rules and guidelines for companies—
The NPPA has issued clear instructions to all pharmaceutical companies stating that they cannot sell these 23 medicines at prices higher than the fixed retail rates. If any other company launches any of these new medicines in the market within the next 12 months, it too must sell the medicine within the prescribed price limit. Additionally, the company must submit all necessary documents to the NPPA portal within one month of the product launch. Furthermore, all manufacturers are required to issue a new price list and make it available to the NPPA and state drug controllers. If any company violates this order or charges more than the fixed price, strict legal action will be taken against it under the DPCO, 2013, and the Essential Commodities Act, 1955; the company will also be required to deposit the excess amount collected, along with interest. The 23 medicines for which prices have been fixed:
- Heart disease and cholesterol-
Retail price: ₹6.37 per capsule
- Atorvastatin + Clopidogrel + Aspirin (20/75/75 mg)
Use: Cholesterol control and prevention of blood clots in heart patients
Price: ₹8.89 per capsule
- Clonazepam + Paroxetine (12.5 mg)
Use: Anxiety, panic disorder, and depression
Price: ₹17.52 per tablet
- Clonazepam + Paroxetine (25 mg)
Use: Severe depression and anxiety
Price: ₹20.06 per tablet
- Desvenlafaxine (50 mg) + Clonazepam
Use: Depression and anxiety
Price: ₹17.47 per tablet
- Desvenlafaxine (100 mg) + Clonazepam
Use: Severe depression and anxiety
Price: ₹25.83 per tablet
- Escitalopram + Clonazepam
Use: Anxiety and depression
Price: ₹10.72 per tablet
- Etoricoxib + Paracetamol
Use: Pain and inflammation
Price: ₹10.90 per tablet
- Ferrous Ascorbate + Folic Acid
Use: Iron deficiency (Anemia)
Price: ₹16.92 per tablet
- Iron + Folic Acid Syrup
Use: Iron deficiency in children and women. Price: ₹0.28 per milliliter
- Myo-inositol + D-chiro-inositol + Vitamin D3
Uses: PCOS and women’s reproductive health issues
Price: ₹9.29 per gram
- Ofloxacin + Metronidazole Suspension (100/200 mg)
Uses: Bacterial and stomach infections
Price: ₹1.09 per milliliter
- Ofloxacin + Metronidazole Suspension (50/100 mg)
Uses: Treatment of infections in children
Price: ₹0.86 per milliliter
- Paracetamol Oral Suspension
Uses: Fever and pain
Price: ₹0.66 per milliliter
- Telmisartan + Metoprolol (25 mg)
Uses: High blood pressure
Price: ₹15.01 per tablet
- Telmisartan + Metoprolol (50 mg)
Uses: High blood pressure and heart disease
Price: ₹18.50 per tablet
- Telmisartan + Chlorthalidone + Metoprolol (50 mg)
Uses: Uncontrolled high blood pressure
Price: ₹11.77 per tablet
- Telmisartan + Chlorthalidone + Metoprolol (25 mg)
Uses: High blood pressure
Price: ₹11.67 per tablet
- Nebivolol + Telmisartan
Uses: High blood pressure
Price: ₹13.70 per tablet
- Sitagliptin + Glimepiride + Metformin (1000 mg + 2 mg)
Uses: Type-2 diabetes
Price: ₹19.46 per tablet
- Sitagliptin + Glimepiride + Metformin (1000 mg + 1 mg)
Use: Type-2 diabetes
Price: ₹17.73 per tablet
- Clarithromycin + Pantoprazole + Amoxicillin Combi-kit
Use: Treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection and stomach ulcers
Price: ₹122.56 per kit
- Dapagliflozin + Pioglitazone + Metformin SR
Use: Blood sugar control in Type-2 diabetes
Price: ₹18.77 per tablet
Why is this decision significant for the common person?
It is often observed that patients suffering from chronic conditions—such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease—have to spend thousands of rupees on medication every month. This move by the NPPA will curb arbitrary drug pricing in the market and prevent an unnecessary financial burden on the common public.
