Asthma, Tab, mental health medicines to get costlier
The prices of medications for conditions such as asthma, tuberculosis, and mental health issues are expected to rise. India’s drug pricing authority has announced an increase in the costs of these essential treatments.
Patients need to prepare for a significant increase in costs for certain essential medications, as their prices have risen by fifty percent.
India’s drug pricing authority has raised the prices of several essential medications by 50%. These drugs, primarily affordable options, play a crucial role in the treatment of various health conditions, including asthma, glaucoma, thalassemia, tuberculosis, and mental health issues.
This adjustment occurred as pharmaceutical companies requested the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) to permit price hikes for specific medications.
They articulated that rising costs of essential ingredients, production, and fluctuations in currency exchange rates have created challenges in maintaining the production and sale of these medicines at existing price levels.
In alignment with the NPPA’s responsibility to oversee the pricing of essential medications to address the public health requirements of the nation and to avert potential shortages that may arise if the drugs become financially unviable for producers, Paragraph 19 of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order (DPCO), 2013, was invoked to adjust the ceiling prices of 11 scheduled formulations derived from eight essential drugs on October 8.
This action represents the third occasion on which the NPPA has exercised its extraordinary powers under the DPCO, following similar measures in 2019 and 2021 that resulted in price increases for 21 and 9 formulations by 50%.
Also, some drugs may cease to be manufactured as the related firms have expressed concerns that they are no longer profitable.
The medications impacted by the recent price revision encompass:
- – Benzyl Penicillin 10 lakh IU injection, utilized for the treatment of various bacterial infections.
- – Atropine injection 0.6 mg/ml, prescribed for bradycardia, or a slow heart rate.
- – Streptomycin powder for injection in 750 mg and 1000 mg dosages, effective against tuberculosis and other bacterial infections.
- – Salbutamol tablets in 2 mg and 4 mg, along with a respirator solution at 5 mg/ml, used for managing asthma and other respiratory conditions.
- – Pilocarpine 2% eye drops, indicated for the treatment of glaucoma.
- – Cefadroxil tablets at 500 mg, aimed at addressing specific bacterial infections.
- – Desferrioxamine 500 mg for injection, employed in the treatment of anemia and thalassemia.
- – Lithium tablets at 300 mg, commonly used in mental health management.