Eight common medicines to get costlier in India | See List

The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has approved a significant price hike for eight commonly prescribed medicines. These drugs, vital to several public health programs, will see their prices increase by 50% of the current ceiling price. Manufacturers had requested this revision due to rising production and raw material costs, which had made it difficult to maintain the affordability of these essential drugs.

This latest revision affects 11 formulations across the eight medicines, many of which are used to treat serious conditions like asthma, tuberculosis, glaucoma, and mental health disorders. The affected medicines include Benzyl Penicillin, Atropine injections, Streptomycin powder, Salbutamol tablets and solution, Pilocarpine drops, Cefadroxil tablets, Desferrioxamine for injection, and Lithium tablets. The price hike follows previous revisions in 2019 and 2021, where 21 and 9 formulations, respectively, saw increases.

According to a spokesperson from the Union Health Ministry, the NPPA’s decision ensures that these essential medicines will remain available in the market at affordable prices. Without this price adjustment, manufacturers indicated that continuing production would be unviable due to increasing costs, potentially leading to drug shortages.

Manufacturers had argued that the rising cost of active pharmaceutical ingredients, combined with increased production costs and changes in exchange rates, made it necessary to revise prices. In some cases, companies had even applied for discontinuation of certain formulations, citing their inability to continue producing them under the current pricing structure.