Paswan: Balancing act

New Delhi, Sept. 6: The government will consider a recommendation to merge various drug authorities into a single National Authority on Drugs and Therapeutics (NADT), chemicals and fertilisers minister Ram Vilas Paswan said today.

A taskforce set up under the chairmanship of Planning Commission principal adviser Pronab Sen has also suggested that a ceiling price should be worked out for more than 200 life-saving medicines on the basis of weighted average of the top three brands of molecules. It also wants to bring all patented drugs and their formulations under price negotiations prior to the grant of market approval.

However, Paswan said the pharmaceutical industry has reservations regarding the constitution of NADT as it desires to keep price control out of the authority’s ambit. It is also against ceiling prices for life-saving drugs. The taskforce, which submitted its draft recommendations today, said the span of price control should be based on the “essentiality of the drug”.

Before drafting the recommendations, the taskforce had discussed with various drug industry associations. These included the Organisation of Pharmaceutical Producers of India, Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance and Bulk Drug Manufacturers Association.

Meanwhile, Paswan said the final pricing policy of drugs would be placed before the cabinet for approval by the end of this month or early next month.

“We have had meetings with the pharmaceuticals industry organisations on various issues regarding price control order in the last two days based on the draft recommendations of the taskforce,” he said. “We have given them one week’s time to come back on this issue,” he added.

The industry has reservations on the proposed price control through ceiling prices of essential drugs and selective de-branding of medicines.

The taskforce has also sought for bulk procurement of drugs by the government. It wants public sector undertakings in to ensure availability of drugs and healthcare incentives for families below poverty line.