Lok Sabha Question No. 3790 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-03-25
Subject: Prices of Life-Saving Drugs
Ministry: CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS
Asked by: Ashok Mahadeorao Nete, Sadashiv Kisan Lokhande, Shriniwas Dadasaheb Patil

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CHEMICALS & FERTILIZERS DEPARTMENT OF PHARMACEUTICALS

LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. †3790 TO BE ANSWERED ON 25 th  March, 2022

Prices of Life-Saving Drugs

## †3790. SHRI ASHOK MAHADEORAO NETE: SHRI SADASHIV KISAN LOKHANDE: SHRI SHRINIWAS PATIL:

Will the Minister of CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether life-saving and some other drugs are being sold at very high prices due to their scarcity in the country;
- (b) if so, the details thereof along with the percentage of increase in the prices of each medicine and the steps taken to ensure their prices under affordable limits;
- (c) whether the Government has fixed any norms for maintaining minimum stock of life-saving drugs in the country and if so, the details and the estimated stock thereof;
- (d)  whether  the  Government  has  constituted  or  proposes  to  constitute  any  high  powered committee to review the price control system of medicines and if so, the details thereof; and (e) the steps taken to strengthen research and development so as to find out the possibility of the production of medicines at low cost?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF CHEMICALS & FERTILIZERS (SHRI BHAGWANTH KHUBA)

(a)  and  (b):  The  essential  medicines  included  in  the  National  List  of  Essential  Medicines (NLEM) published by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare are included in Schedule-I of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013 (DPCO, 2013) and their ceiling price are fixed by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) under the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP). No manufacturer can sell these medicines at a price more than the ceiling prices fixed by the NPPA. No reports have been received recently by NPPA regarding selling of drugs at high prices due to scarcity in the country.

(c): Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) has prepared 'Guidelines for Buffer Stock Management of COVID-19' and forwarded the same to all States/ UTs on 13 th  July, 2021. Further, financial resources were also made available to the States under 'Emergency COVID Response Package-II' for the purpose. States/ UTs were given flexibility to suitably customise their buffer stock requirements in accordance with their needs. MoHFW and DoP monitored the buffer stock available with States/ UTs.

(d): As per  its  mandate,  the  NPPA,  a  body  of  experts,  controls/  regulates  the  prices  of medicines in accordance with provisions of DPCOs. (e): R&D  and  innovation  in  pharma  sector  is  done  by  number  of  institutions  and organizations under various scientific ministries/ departments. The Department of Pharmaceuticals has set up seven National Institutes of Pharmaceutical Education & Research (NIPERs)  as  institutes  of  national  importance,  which  besides  imparting  postgraduate  and doctorate education, conduct high end research in various pharma specializations. NIPERs, after  detailed  inter  departmental  consultations,  have  formulated  a  programme  on  Drug Discovery for Affordable Healthcare in mission mode. Further, the department has set up an Inter-  Departmental  Committee  (IDC)  to  ensure  economy,  efficiency,  effectiveness  and transparency  and to coordinate  research  in  a  collaborative,  synchronized  and  synergized way  for  optimum  utilization of funds.

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