The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has come up with a cut in the price of 29 bulk drugs while announced marginal increase in five drugs with effect from 15 days after the date of notification.

As per the notification issued on March 21, 2007, the highest price reduction has been announced on Vitamin A acetate (dry powder) 0.5 MIU/gm, 1000 MIU units, from Rs 3390 to Rs 2956 recording a price cut of 12.8 per cent. Vitamin A acetate (oily liquid) 1.0 MIU/gm, has been reduced from Rs 2532 per 1000 MIU to Rs 2295, with a decrease of 9.4 per cent, while the price of Carbamezapine has a cut down of Rs 1 from Rs 2180 per kilogram to Rs 2179, recording a zero per cent change in the overall price reduction.

The price of ibuprofen has been reduced from Rs 408 per kilogram to Rs 404, rifampicin from Rs 3518 per kilogram to Rs 3493 and human insulin from Rs 32,41,924 per kilogram to Rs 32,15,351, recording a difference of Rs 26,573 per kilogram. The other bulk drugs for which the prices have been cut down include frusemide, salbutamole sulphate, sulphamethoxazole, cefadroxyl monohydrate, dextropropoxyphene salts, prednisolone variations, pyrantel pamoate, vitamin C variations, sodium ascorbate, cefotaxime sodium (sterile), oxytetracycline amphoteraic base and erythromycin variations.

The five bulk drugs, for which the prices have been increased consists of Vitamin A palmitate (oily liquid), ranitidine HCl, chloroquine phosphate, ephedrine HCl and pseudo ephedrine HCl. The highest in the price hike is with Vitamin A palmitate (oily liquid) 1.0/1.7 MIU/gm for 1000 MIU from Rs 2425 to Rs 2685, marking an increase of 10.7 per cent. Price of ephedrine HCl has been increased from Rs1062 per kilogram to Rs 1158 recording hike of 9 per cent, chloroquine phosphate from Rs 723 to Rs 745 per kilogram with an increase of 3 per cent, ranitidine HCl from Rs 625 to Rs 636 per kilogram with around 2 per cent hike and pseudo ephedrine HCl from Rs 1761 to Rs 1819 per kilogram with over 3 per cent increase.