Taking a serious view of the alleged malpractices by drug companies to dodge price control mechanism by adding some ingredients in the medicines, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Chemicals has called in the list of erring companies and asked Pharmaceutical Department to coordinate with the Health Department in checking such attempts.

“The Committee notes that some companies have allegedly shifted the production of medicines that are under price control to food and nutrition supplements manufactured under Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954 in order to circumvent the control mechanism. The Committee recommends that the pharma department should take necessary steps in co-ordination with the Ministry of Health to curb such alleged malpractices of drug companies. The Committee would like to be apprised of the action taken in the matter. The Committee desire that the list of companies indulging in such malpractices and action taken against them should be submitted to the Committee,” a recent report by the panel said.

According to the information furnished by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) with the panel, six companies have been found guilty on this ground in the past. “It has been observed that in order to circumvent the price control mechanism, various companies have shifted the production of medicines that are under price control, to food and nutrition supplements manufactured under the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954 (PFA),” it said.

The products came under the scanner were revital capsule of Ranbaxy, Evion 400 capsule of E Mark, 1-B capsule of Lupin, recharge plus capsule of Trikio, multivit gold capsule from Universal Medicare, and Soft Z – gold capsule of Indchemie, it was stated.

Following this, the NPPA assessed that the loopholes in the concerned regulations under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act should be changed to curb such malpractices. It has hence requested the Health Ministry in June last year to take appropriate action to prevent vitamins and minerals, which are used in the treatment of various ailments, from getting out of price control and become unaffordable and inaccessible to a large sections of the society.