5th cap in 2022: Some drugs to be cheaper – Times of India

KOLKATA : For the fifth consecutive time in the current year, some medicines are set to be cheaper after the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) on Tuesday capped prices of 127 drugs. A number of medicines like paracetamol have seen prices declining for the second time this year. However, prices of a few medicines like montelukast and metformin have increased. Pharma retailers in the city are hopeful of getting the supplies with new price tags by next month.
The list of 127 drugs that NPPA came out with on Tuesday includes medicines like paracetamol, amoxycillin, rabeprazole and metformin. Many of these are used by patients on a regular basis. Paracetamol (650mg), which is sold for Rs 2. 3 per tablet at present, is now capped at Rs 1. 8 per tablet. Earlier this year, the NPPA had reduced prices of combination formulation of paracetamol. The price of amoxycillin and potassium clavulanate was also brought down from Rs 22. 3 to Rs 16. 8 per tablet.

The price of moxifloxacin (400mg) has also been drastically reduced to Rs 22. 8 from the current Rs 31. 5 per tablet. Used for treating bacterial in-fections like pneumonia, the price of this medicine was reduced for the first time this year.
Rajiv Singhal, general secretary of the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD), said: “This is a welcome move. But some medicines like paracetamol have already seen lowest prices. With the price of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) on the rise, there is less room left for the manufacturers to curtail the prices further. I hope the supplies are not affected in the future. ”
According to Sajal Ganguly, secretary of the Bengal Chemists and Druggists Association (BCDA), medicines with the new price tag will start arriving by Januaryend. “It normally takes a month for the medicines withnew prices to arrive in the market. We should get the new stock by the end of next month,” he said.
Somnath Ghosh of Metro Pharma felt that lower prices will have a direct impact on the spurious medicine market. “If prices of the medicines are low, it will put an end to the manufacture of spurious drugs. There had been price revisions for multiple times in the past one year and this has given a big relief to customers,” he said.
However, prices of a few medicines like metformin (500mg) were increased from Rs 1. 7 to Rs 1. 8 on the new list. Used in the treatment of Type II diabetes, prices of combination formulation of metformin have been changed a number of times in the past one year.