National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority keeps a check on prices of medicines in India

National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority keeps a check on prices of medicines in India TAGS: NPPA Union government Price ceiling antibiotics cancer 52 drugs under price control RELATEDS Mann ki Baat: Top 10 facts 7 things you should definitely know about the Clean India Mission Ten things to know about Anna Atkins on her 216th birthday Renowned Gandhian, Narayan Desai dies at 90 Mahatma Gandhi's statue unveiled at London's Parliament Square The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) of India has brought 52 new drugs under price ceiling on December 11, 2014, adding to the 348 drugs already involved. The move is expected to impact huge drug manufacturers like Merck, Lupin and Cadila Healthcare. The majority of the new drugs involve basic painkillers, antibiotics and medicines used for ailing skin disorders and cancer. The list of bulk drug formulations under price capping include Glucose, Paracetamol, Diazepam, Losartan, Amoxycilline, Ciprofloxacin, Diclofenac and Codeine Phosphate. Earlier in September 2014, 43 formulation packs including drugs like antibiotic Ciprofloxacin, Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine and anti-diabetic Metformin went through the price capping by NPPA. This brings 450 drug formulation packs under price control mechanism. The price capping of the medicines was based on the average of the costs of all drugs with over one per cent market share. In July 2014, NPPA fixed the price for 108 non-essential drugs including 50 anti-diabetes and cardiac medicines while invoking the public interest but Indian Pharmaceutical Association and the Organisation of Pharmaceutical Producers of India went to court against the move. With the move, the government ensures the improvement of medicinal affordability. What is National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA)? National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority is a regulatory body handled by the government to bring the costs of pharmaceutical drugs under control It is also endowed with the task of recovering overcharged amounts by manufacturers from the consumer for the controlled drugs It also monitors drug shortages and the prices of decontrolled drugs in order to keep them at reasonable levels It collects or maintains data of exports and imports, production, profitability, market share of individual companies, etc for bulk drugs and formulations.