Country’s Drug pricing regulator- the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority has fixed the ceiling price of drug eluting stents (DES) and bioresorbable stents at Rs.29600 and that of bare metal stents at Rs.7,260. The prices will be effective from its notification on February 14, 2017.
Government appointed core committee which examined the issues relating to the essentiality of coronary stents in its report in April 2016 observed that there is very high incidence of coronary artery disease (CAD) in India associated with high morbidity and mortality; and that CAD has become a major public health problem; and that Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) procedure requiring coronary stent implantation is an important treatment modality for the management of CAD, and hence coronary stents are ‘essential’ for public health.
NPPA carried out an exhaustive exercise of consultation with stakeholders for fixing the ceiling price of coronary stents on 4th January 2017, 5th January 2017 and 6th January 2017.
The drug regulator considered all available information and data on prices of coronary stents in its 40th authority meeting held on 23rd January 2017. During deliberations, it was found that huge unethical markups are charged at each stage in the supply chain of coronary stents resulting in irrational, restrictive and exorbitant prices in a failed market system driven by information asymmetry between the patient and doctors pushing patients to financial misery and whereasunder such extraordinary circumstances, there is an urgent necessity, in public interest, to fix ceiling price ofcoronary stents to bring respite to patients.
NPPA in its authority meeting held on 13th February 2017, after duly examining in detail and considering all available information/data and all relevant options for price fixation ofcoronary stents , under present extraordinary circumstances of a failed and exploitative market system has decided that it is immediately necessary to fix ceiling prices ofcoronary stents , in order to protect public interest.