The wide-ranging price cuts have hit both local and foreign drugmakers and have been opposed by many industry officials,
Drugs include those sold by Lupin, Cadila, Merck Ltd
The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has extended the
price caps to 52 drugs deemed essential by the government, including
painkillers and antibiotics, in its latest move to improve the
affordability of medicines.
The additional drugs join a list of nearly 400 essential treatments
under price control.In a notice issued in September, the NPPA had fixed
the prices of 36 drugs, including those to treat infections and
diabetes.
The wide-ranging price cuts have hit both local and foreign drugmakers
and have been opposed by many industry officials, who have said drug
prices in the country were already among the lowest in the world.
In the latest pricing move, the drugs added include commonly-used
antibiotics and painkillers as well as medicines used to treat cancer
and skin disorders, a notice on the NPPA website said.
The price caps on some of these drugs only apply to specific companies, it added.
Companies, including Lupin, Cadila Healthcare and Merck, the Indian arm
of Germany’s Merck KGaA, are among those selling drugs mentioned in the
latest notice, the authority said.
Cadila and Lupin did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Merck was not immediately reachable.
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