Letter To the EDITOR- Capping margins of retailers on just 73 drugs more: Why not all?

Capping margins of retailers on just 73 drugs more: Why not all?

According to media-reports about National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) considering capping of profit-margins of 73 more drugs but leaving out many more again. It is beyond understanding why and how NPPA does not have a profit-formula uniformly for all drugs at a time when even generic medicines considered to be a cheaper version of respective branded medicines have exorbitant trade-margins of several hundred percent. Such unethical profit-margins are continuing in drug-industry despite Competition Commission of India CCI and Central Information Commission CIC, have taken cognizance of serious issue. There are many medicines where different drug-manufacturers take undue advantage of their brand-popularity with prices of same medicine differing several times according to brand-popularity thus establishing extra-ordinary high profit-margins of even drug-manufacturers.

NPPA must not differentiate by having various categories of medicines where price-regulation is applicable only for some limited drugs. Price-control and profit-margin for all types of drugs should be same rather than selective, and must be controlled by NPPA. Many drug-manufacturers revise upward prices of certain medicines on monthly basis. Price-revision of any medicines must be allowed only once in a year say on First January only unless approved as special case by NPPA. Gimmick packaging other than in units of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 gms, mltrs or units must not be allowed unless approved by NPPA for dose-wise administration. Rule should be to emboss or print name of medicine in a manner that name is there on every capsule or tablet thus ruling out possibility of wastage of drug in case name-portion of strip is consumed.

Madhu Agrawal,

1775 Kucha Lattushah,

Dariba, Chandni Chowk,

Delhi-110006 (India).