-The Telegraph New Delhi: The Supreme Court today ticked off the government for "dilly dallying" on an affordable drug pricing policy, following a petition that said the delay was aimed at pushing through suggestions of the powerful manufacturers' lobby. A bench of Justices G.S. Singhvi and Gopala Gowda asked the Centre to respond within six weeks. The All India Drug Action Network (AIDAN) had filed the application saying the government was delaying a...
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Branded medicines cost 15 times more than generic ones
-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Branded medicines cost 2-15 times more than non-branded generic medicines sold at Jan Aushadhi stores. For example, a 10-tablet strip of Diclofenac SR (100mg), a popular pain killer, costs Rs 51.91 whereas the same generic medicine costs only Rs 3.35 at Jan Aushadhi stores. An 100 ml bottle of cough syrup manufactured and marketed by drug companies costs Rs 33 while those sold at Jan Aushadhi...
More »Will rising prices hit poll result? UPA govt panics -Rajeev Deshpande
-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Rising apprehension that food inflation may finally begin to bite in electoral terms has seen the Manmohan Singh government press the panic button as retail prices of cereals, vegetables and pulses soar in comparison to last year. Persistent high inflation, particularly in food, is gnawing the government ahead of assembly polls in four major states later this year and the 2014 Lok Sabha election, a concern...
More »New drug pricing creates artificial scarcity-Shyama Rajagopal
-The Hindu Kochi: An artificial scarcity of drugs looms large with the new drug pricing regime, slashing prices for 348 essential drugs, set to prevail from July 29. Many retailers who stock medicines for a week are not picking up medicines and are keeping a minimum inventory. Some retailers said distributors were not making medicines available. It has sent medical retail stores into a tizzy about the fate of already available stocks. J.S....
More »Price Control, IP Act & regulatory framework: Revisiting some imp issues about Indian pharma-Ramesh Adige
-The Economic Times Over a year ago, I had written a piece, Quo Vadis, Indian Pharma? (ET, May 11, 2012), in this column. Some key issues were highlighted in the article. Perhaps it is time to revisit the subject and bring out some current issues. Price Control: Hurray, the department of pharmaceuticals has come out with a new non-intrusive Price Control methodology, moving from the cost-based model to the average market price...
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