The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has revised upwards the prices of six bulk drugs ranging from 2 per cent to 13 per cent on Monday. The drugs include vitamin E acetate (dl tocopheryl acetate), metronidazole, ranitidine and cefotaxime sodium (sterile) and the new prices will be effective within 15 days.

Under the sub-paragraph (5) of paragraph 3 of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 1995, NPPA fixed the new price of vitamin E acetate (dl tocopheryl acetate) at Rs 768 which was Rs.754. The price of parachlorometaxylenol (PCMX) is revised to Rs 273 per kg from Rs. 248 and metronidazole price hiked to Rs 526 per kg from Rs.471.

Bulk drug, metronidazole benzoate, would now be sold at Rs 447 per kg, the notification said.

The price of ranitidine HCl is revised to Rs 691 from Rs.615 and the new price of cefotaxime sodium (sterile) would be at Rs 6805 per kg which was Rs.6673. The notification has urged the formulators using these bulk drugs in their scheduled formulations to follow the DPCO provisions in accordance with the newly fixed prices.