As most of us are worried because of the cost of medicine and medical devices. the Indian government has formed a committee to revise their pricing. On March 12, the Department of Pharmaceuticals mandated a high-level group to draft a new code for pricing and availability of vital medications and medical equipment.
The instructions call the committee “Committee for Reforms in Pricing Framework for Drugs and Medical Devices.”
The Department of Pharmaceuticals Secretary, Chairman of the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority, and Senior Economic Adviser will make up the core.
The Secretary General of the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance and the CEO of the Indian Drugs Manufacturers Association, together with any other special invitee, are also welcome by the committee.
The committee’s responsibilities include institutional reforms within the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), how to balance the price and availability of essential medicines while encouraging industry growth and exports, how to design a price moderation framework for medical devices, and how to design a framework for emerging medicines.
The committee has three months to report to the government.
Critics say the committee’s makeup favors the industry and may not be able to create a fair pricing structure.
Aidan Co-Convenor Malini Aisola has various concerns about the committee structure. “Two industry associations are special invitees to the committee, which is problematic. Access to the committee should be equal for all stakeholders. It risks delegitimizing the committee for its pro-pharma leaning. No explanation for the Terms of Reference has been provided.
“For instance, revamping the NPPA is mentioned without explanation. Two TORs emphasize the balance of price control with industry incentives, which misrepresents market-based rules as successful or broad. Aisola argued the TOR rewrites the DPCO.
She added that the NPPA still sets prices using Pharmatrac, a proprietary database. It is less well known that leading Indian drug companies own and control the database. All of these reflect a growing industry influence on policymaking. In the run-up to elections, the government appears to be weakening an already weak regulation rather than promoting access to important health supplies and favoring the sector “said.