Following National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA)'s plan to set up price modulating cells in each of the state drug control departments, Rajasthan State Drug Control department will be training drug inspectors for monitoring prices of drugs and report violations accordingly to the NPPA cell. With the implementation of the plan, violations reported will be dealt timely with the help of the NPPA cells in case they find any pharma company in contravention to the provisions of Drug Price Control Order (DPCO-2013).
NPPA recently had a meeting with all the state drug controllers in Delhi to deliberate on this matter. While states like Maharashtra, UP and other states are awaiting specific directions and notification on this matter from the pricing regulator, Rajasthan is planning to train the drug inspectors from next month onwards, informs Manoj Tongra, Asst Drug Controller, Rajasthan State Drug Control Department.
"We would be training drug inspectors on the Drug Price Control Order (DPCO) - 2013 regulation and the actions to be taken upon its violation, aspects on conducting sample survey in the market of the respective drugs covered under and outside the DPCO and the method and related modalities for recovery of the overcharged amount through overpricing of drugs," Tongra explains.
There are around 60 drug inspectors in Rajasthan and plans are to depute around 4 drug inspectors for monitoring for the NPPA cell.
"Drug control departments should have such cells as it is high time that pricing is regulated through an effective monitoring mechanism," says A K Malhotra, asst commissioner, Food Safety and Drug Administration, Uttar Pradesh.
To strengthen its network and make the monitoring of the drug prices better, it has been given to understand that NPPA plans to set up dedicated administrative cells within the offices of each of the state drug departments across the country. While the expenditure related to manpower, amenities and other infrastructural cost will be borne by the NPPA, state government will have to provide the space for setting up the office within the state drug regulatory office.
Under the proposed scheme, the cell is to be headed by one person along with a team of NPPA officials whose strength will vary as per the size of the pharma industry in respective states. A highly placed source informs that the NPPA has categorised the states based on three categories, i.e. based on maximum, minimum and least number of pharma cos in the state for better division of work.
They will be responsible to closely work with the state drug regulators to find out any discrepancies that affect the consumers. The officials heading the cell will be required to report their findings to the NPPA directly in case they find any pharma cos violating the law by selling the drugs above the ceiling price. According to a highly placed source, the NPPA plans to go ahead with this project on a phased manner and hopes to get the required clearance from the centre at the earliest.