With the expected date of implementation of the revised drug prices for the first batch of the essential drugs on July 29 under the new Drugs Price Control Order (DPCO) 2013, the Gujarat Food and Drug Control Administration (FDCA) has issued a cautionary warning to all the stakeholders in the state asking them to follow the NPPA order to avoid regulatory action on them.

This move comes in the wake of the implementation of the DPCO 2013 which is all set take effect from July 29. Gujarat FDCA informed that, in the greater interest of the patients, and as directed by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) all steps will be taken by the state drug regulator to monitor and foresee the implementation of the new drug pricing policy effectively.

To ensure that the patients are not cheated out of paying extra money for buying drugs that have undergone price revision under the DPCO 2013, Gujarat FDCA has already initiated a state wise drive to sensitise and educate the patients, pharmacists and other stake holders on the new drug prices as and when declared by the NPPA. Through this initiative the state drug regulator wants to ensure that the none of the pharmacists in the state sell the drugs as per the existing prices to the patients beyond July 29 and have asked them to return the old stocks to the company and get new stocks within the stipulated time to ensure that their is no shortage of the said drugs in the State.

“We have been following up this matter with all the stakeholders from time to time to ensure that they are well informed about the new pricing policy and their role in ensuring its effective implementation of the same. The main reason for this is that we do not want to face shortage of any of these drugs in the state, due to any confusion or lack of clarity on this issue from our part. Thus ever since the NPPA had started declaring the revised price list, we have been preparing a detailed comprehensive data on the drugs enlisted along with their existing as well as new price list, along with their market demand and brand details to pass it along the stakeholders. Through this we have been constantly updating the pharmacists as well as the patients on the recent developments.”

He added that the new drug pricing policy will surely come as a huge relief for majority of the patients when implemented, as it will help in reducing their medical expenses by 30 to 50 per cent depending on the type of disease. Thus he said that keeping in mind the interest of the public, the Gujarat drug regulatory office will take all measures to ensure that the new drug pricing policy will be implemented as required from July 29 for those drugs.

Interestingly, in the first batch, NPPA had revised the prices of 151 formulations on June 14 with a window period of 45 days for implementation by the pharmaceutical companies that is till July 29. Some of the drugs whose prices have been fixed are insulin, ibuprofen, metronidazole combinations, dexamethazone combinations, rifampicin combinations, carbamazepine etc.