Government notifies new drug pricing policy

NEW DELHI: The government on Thursday said the new drug policy which aims at bringing more medicines under price control has been notified.

" The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Policy ( NPPP-2012) approved by the Cabinet on November 22, 2012 has been notified on December 7, 2012," Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers Srikant Kumar Jena said in a written reply in Lok Sabha.

"Based on the same a new DPCO (Drugs Price Control Order) shall be prepared, notified," he added.

Price control over drugs was first introduced in the country in the aftermath of the Chinese aggression by Drugs (Display of Prices) Order 1962 and the Drugs (Control of Prices) Order 1963.

The outgoing drug policy of 1994, which covers 74 bulk drugs, was implemented through Drugs Price Control Order (DPCO) 1995.

The NPPP-2012, which was cleared by the government last month, would bring 348 essential drugs under price control.

In another reply, Jena said the National Pharmaceuticals Pricing Authority (NPPA) has requested the Department of Pharmaceuticals for amendment in 'form IV' of DPCO, 1995, "which will enable them to seek additional information from the importers of drugs than what is prescribed under DPCO, 1995."