Govt monitoring prices of orthopaedic implants: NPPA

NEW DELHI: After the successful implementation of price capping of essential drugs and coronary stents, the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) is mulling to regulate the prices of ‘orthopaedic implants’ and other medical appliances, including medicines. The apex drug price regulator has moved a step ahead in this direction and held meetings with different stakeholders in this regard.

“We are monitoring the prices of orthopaedic implants. It would be too early to say anything about the issue. Manufacturers, social activists, etc have given their representations which being under ‘observation’,” said NPPA Chairman Bhupendra Singh.

A delegation of Alliance of Doctors for Ethical Healthcare has on Thursday called on NPPA chairman and gave presentation demanding to cap the prices of orthopaedic devices, medicines, etc.

Talking to Millennium Post, Dr Arun Mitra, who represented the Alliance, claimed that the apex drug regulator has ‘agreed in principle’ to initiate price capping of the orthopaedic devices on the lines of coronary stents.

“The ‘alliance’ brought to the notice of the NNPA chairman how the nexus was resorting to wanton loot by inflating the maximum retail prices (MRP) while giving these to hospitals at a far less rate. The hospitals, in turn, charge unsuspecting patients the MRP and sharing the extra profit which is quite substantial with manufacturers and the suppliers,” Mitra said.

“The implants or drugs have no label of hospital price on them. It has only MRP, which is used by retailer/professional for making profits. In some cases, hospitals give a discount of upto 10 per cent to some ‘influential’ patients, which make no harm to their profit margins as it’s very high. It’s the poor patients who are bound to pay the excess charge,” Mitra said in his representation to the NPPA.

The ‘alliance’ also claimed that at present the difference between the actual price of drugs and MRP is up to 700 per cent to 800 per cent in some cases, which need to capped at not more than 20 per cent. “We have demanded to frame a trade policy for all drugs and medical devices to fix 10 per cent profit margin for wholesale dealer and a maximum of 20 per cent for the retailer,” Mitra said. CHANDIGARH: Maximum temperatures in Punjab and Haryana continued to hover several notches below the normal on Thursday as widespread rains lashed the states for the second day.

The common capital of the two states, Chandigarh, received light rains during the day and registered a steep fall in the maximum temperature that settled at 28.9 degrees Celsius, eight notches below the normal, a MET Department report said.

Moderate to heavy rains lashed most places in Haryana and Punjab, it said.

In Haryana, Karnal’s maximum temperature settled at 28 degrees Celsius after rains. Ambala received light rainfall and the maximum temperature dropped by seven notches against the normal to settle at 29.5 degrees Celsius.

Hisar, which was lashed by heavy rain, recorded a high of 28.8 degrees Celsius, eleven notches below the normal.

Narnaul was also lashed by rain and the maximum temperature in the town settled at 31.5 degrees Celsius, eight notches below the normal.