The All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD), an apex body of more than five lakh chemists and stockists spread across the country, has welcomed and pledged its support to the government's draft proposal that supports market based drug pricing policy instead of cost based pricing policy. The association pointed out that the market based drug pricing policy is an acceptable proposal as it can best address patient needs and balance industry growth.

However, AIOCD suggested that the proposal can be strengthened further if the formula of the weighted average price (WAP) for all the brand is adopted rather than taking WAP of the top three selling brands as stated in the proposal. J S Shinde, president, AIOCD pointed out that profit to the patients will only be about eight per cent if the government adopts the formula of WAP of the top three selling brands compared to 13 per cent profit if all the drugs are covered under the weighed average.

“Our main agenda is to ensure that all the patients get access to affordable healthcare, our analyses on market based policy has shown that it will ensure easy availability of medicines to common man at an affordable rate. Unlike the previous cost based policy which has forced the manufacturers to stop the production of 26 drugs from the list of 74 drugs as they were not able to get any margin out of it,” Shinde said.

Another demand that the association has tabled before the Group of Ministers  (GoM) during their recent meeting is to include only the 346 drugs under the national list of essential medicines (NLEM) and not their formulations as well as they fear that it may lead to shortage of medicines in the market. The association reinstated its view that it supports any agenda that is aimed at availing quality medicines at affordable rate to the patients even in the remotest corner of the country.

It has also requested the government to take immediate steps on this long delayed policy so that the patients can actually benefit from it.