Pharma companies in consonance with implementing revised drug prices: Delhi High Court

NEW DELHI: The Centre today told the Delhi High Court that pharmaceutical companies, including Novartis India Limited and Cipla Ltd, appear to be in "consonance" with implementation of the revised drug pricing and the two sides are "very close" to resolving the dispute.

Petitions were filed by pharmaceutical companies and an association of medicine manufacturing companies challenging the government's new drug pricing order that asked them to slash prices of 348 medicines.

The Centre informed the bench of Justice B D Ahmed and Justice Vibhu Bakhru that they have held two meetings with the representatives of pharma companies and are very close to resolving the issue.

"The company representatives, after deliberation with each other, appear to be in consonance with implementation of the notified prices from date of notification in sale of all stocks.

"They were requested to issue price list in Form-V as per the provision of...Drug Price Control Order (DPCO), 2013 which they also appear to be in agreement," Central Government Standing Counsel Jasmeet Singh

"The company representatives mentioned difficulties on labeling aspect particularly on vials in respect of existing stock in the market," as per the brief note of the meeting held between the pharma firms and the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA).

The representatives of pharma companies held meetings with the Director of NPPA on the court's direction issued on September 9 to settle the matter "once and for ever".