Even as National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) had proposed a plan to set up price monitoring cells in every state for effective detection of drug price violations across the country eight months ago, only a few states in the country have been able to take the process forward.

Through the price monitoring cells, NPPA will closely work with the state drug regulators to find out any discrepancies that affect the consumers in terms of overpricing of drugs. The officials heading the cell will report their findings to the NPPA directly in case they find any pharma company violating the Drug Price Control Order -2013 by selling the drugs above the ceiling price.

While Uttar Pradesh Drug Control Authority has sent a proposal to the state government to allocate space for the NPPA monitoring cell as per the NPPA guidelines, Rajasthan State Drug Control Department (RSCD) has trained five drug inspectors for manning the price modulating cells in Rajasthan which happens to be majorly centre-funded project. According to an official, funds allocation would depend on the size of the state or number of districts.

Says an Uttar Pradesh Food Safety and Drug Administration (UPFDCA) official, "The monitoring cell will work independently with the help of computer operators recruited with financial aid from the central government. The computer operators will work in close coordination with the manufacturers and drug inspectors for feeding relevant price control data for further evaluation and action." There are total number 150 bulk drug and formulation manufacturing units in the state.

In Rajasthan, drug inspectors have been trained on the Drug Price Control Order (DPCO-2013) regulation and the actions to be taken upon its violation. Training has also been given on how to conduct sample survey in the market of the respective drugs covered under and outside the DPCO. Drug inspectors are also technically equipped to implement modalities for recovery of the overcharged amount by manufacturer through overpricing of drugs.

Karnataka has set up a NPPA-PMC cell to regulate the price mechanism as per the NPPA guidelines led by a team of additional drug controller, deputy drug controller and assistant drug controller, as per official sources.

The Kerala state drugs control department has also taken a decision to set up the price monitoring cell (NPPA-PMC) as per the directive of NPPA. According to officials, three employees will be appointed on contract basis for manning the office and detection of DPCO violations. For this, NPPA will guide the enforcement agency in Kerala to recruit new staff (price monitoring officers) with educational background in pharmacy.