Claiming that the National pharmaceutical pricing authority adopted a 'partisan' approach towards the big players in many cases, the small scale industry has asked for a rectification of the pricing of prednisolone eye drops being manufactured by a pharma major.
SME Pharma Industries Confederation (SPIC), in their representation to the department of pharmaceuticals and the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), claimed that the undue favour in respect of the big company has led to the disappearance of its rival combination drugs on account of unfavourable pricing.
"Prednisolone is a price controlled molecule, so are its all derivatives. Hence all dosage forms and derivatives of prednisolone including tablets, injections, oral suspension, oral drops are under price control. Price of prednisolone tablets containing prednisolone acetate 2.5 mg has been fixed at Rs 3.34 for a strip of ten tablets (issued vide S.O 1916(E)). Surprisingly, prednisolone acetate eye drops is kept out of it whereas when prednisolene acetate is in a combination with other drugs like eye drops, NPPA has introduced price control. It has forced other combination products vanish from the market due to unremunerative pricing," the SPIC said.
"We fail to understand how the plain prednisolone acetate eye drops could be allowed to be sold at Rs 37.21 per 5ml vial, whereas its combinations with ofloxacin have been asked to be sold at Rs 12.09, gratifloxaciin with prednisolone at Rs 12.84 and levofloaxacin with prednisolone at Rs 13.17. How only plain prednisolone eye drop can be sold at a higher price than its combinations. Precisely as per your price control mechanism, a molecule as single ingredient (at same strength, same pack) can be allowed to be sold at more than 300 per cent while its combinations with other effective and useful drugs are priced just one third of it," it said.
The special provision was made only for prednisolone acetate as eye drops whereby extending undue benefit to a large scale company while its combination of the same molecule with antibacterial are priced at a low lever. "We request you to either bring the price of prednisolone acetate eye drops proportionately in line with prices of other combinations under price control or use the same mechanism of evaluation for fixing the prices of prednisolone eye drops combinations," the representation said.
Sources at the pharma department said they had received the representation on the matter and would look into it for further steps in any. However, the NPPA officials were not available for comment in this regard. The product in question, prednisolone acetate ophthalmic suspension USP, is marketed by Allergan India and is manufactured by Piramal Healthcare.