In what can virtually be termed as an indictment of their dilly-dallying tactics on the issue of framing a pharma policy, the Supreme Court has asked the Union ministry of health and Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) to immediately review and come up with their views to make the essential medicines affordable to the poor people of the country. Come up with your view on the policy by February 9, or else the Court will give its direction on the issue, the Supreme Court said.

Literally pulling up the Union health ministry and the DoP for inordinate delay in framing the pharma policy and for its failure in bringing down the prices of medicines included in the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM), the Supreme Court bench consisting of Justices G S Singhvi and S J Mukhopadhaya asked the government to come up with its views on the issue of reducing the prices of essential medicines. The NLEM has 348 drugs, of which the prices of only 37 medicines are controlled by National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA).

The two-member SC bench also posed a question to the Organisation of Pharmaceutical Producers of India (OPPI), an organisation of multinational pharma companies in India, who was also made a party in the case. The SC bench asked its counsel U Lalit, why you cannot reduce the prices of essential medicines to make it affordable to the poor people of this country.

The next hearing on the issue will be held on February 9.

Hearing on a petition filed by All India Drug Action Network (AIDAN), an NGO working in the health sector, the court expressed its anger over the insensitivity of the concerned ministries on the issue. What have you done during the last  several years to reduce the prices of essential medicines.  It is a sensitive issue involving the health of crores of poor people of this country, the court said.