The Gujarat Food and Drug Control Administration (FDCA) has sent a representation to the NPPA, informing them about disturbing cases wherein manufactures were found selling life saving anti cancer drugs at exorbitant prices. Considering the gravity of this issue, the drug regulator in a representation sent last week sought NPPAs attention urging it to include these anti cancer drugs under the DPCO.

Almost 15 to 20 anti cancer drugs of different molecules that are available in the market were found to have huge price gap, specifically between the retailers or stockiest price and the MRP as mentioned in the label. The state regulator has found that the manufacturers from across the state were selling some of these life saving drugs at a higher maximum retail price (MRP), making it unaffordable for poor and needy patients.

Dr Hemant Koshia, commissioner of Gujarat FDCA informed that there is almost 100 to 400 per cent price variation between the MRP and prices of the stockists. Prices of these drugs vary from Rs.1,000 to as high as Rs.20,000 on the MRP, lacking any uniformity in the price code, in spite of the fact that they are critical life saving drugs.

Only a few anti cancer drugs are covered in NLEM, under the DPCO, while many other important drugs still are outside its ambit. It is important to note that the drugs that were found to be sold at varying MRP are outside DPCO. The companies manufacturing these drugs are thus not liable for violation of DPCO for selling drugs above ceiling price.

"The reason why we have brought this matter to the notice of NPPA is to ensure that no patients should be made to suffer due to unfair pricing of such life saving drugs. We have found that such pricing is affecting the accessibility of these life saving drugs to the patients. Our main aim behind seeking NPPAs intervention is to include even these life saving drugs under the DPCO. This move will bring in transparency, clarity and affordability when dealing with such life saving drugs which is important to protect the interests of patients," informed Dr Koshia.

Big pharmaceutical companies reportedly manufactured most of the drugs that were found having conflicting prices. Interestingly, Gujarat FDCA remains to be in the top from across the country to refer maximum cases of violation of ceiling price under the DPCO. Ever since the new DPCO 2013 has come into place, the state drug regulator has referred 700 cases to the NPPA till date.