Prices of 98 drugs not fixed due to non availability of information

New Delhi: The central government has not been able to fix the price of 98 drugs used for treating various diseases such as tuberculosis, cardiac conditions, anemia, malaria and infections due to non-availability of information.

"NPPA prepared list of 98 medicines included in Schedule - I of DPCO, 2013 for which no information is available and prices could not be fixed/notified," National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority said in a statement on its website.

In an earlier statement in July, NPPA had asked various stakeholders to provide related data in 30 days.

It had sought data/information about these 98 formulations from all state governments and UTs, Drug Controller General of India, drug controllers of states and UTs, IMS health, Pharma Trac and apex pharma organisations such as OPPI, IDMA, IPA, among others, and trade associations.

The authority had then said that it fixed the ceiling price of 530 formulations from the list of essential medicines included in Schedule-1 of DPCO, 2013.

At present, the government caps prices of essential drugs based on the simple average of all medicines in a particular therapeutic segment with sales of more than 1 per cent.

In the case of non-scheduled drugs, companies are allowed to hike prices by only up to 10 per cent in a year.