Patna, March 29: Sale of cancer drugs at prices higher than that of the maximum retail price in Bihar rocked the proceedings of the Legislative Assembly today.

BJP legislators Sanjeev Shyam Singh and Suraj Nandan Prasad raised the matter as a matter of public welfare. They sought answers for such high prices of cancer drugs, while pointing out that the patients and their family members were financially suffering owing to this.

Health minister Tej Pratap was not present in the Upper House. Cooperative minister Alok Kumar Mehta, replying to the question on the behalf of the government, said prices of drugs were fixed by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) at the Centre and the high prices of 374 different cancer drugs in the state was owing to the fact that their maximum retail price (MRP) were yet to be fixed by the authority.

"We have however written to NPPA for fixing the MRP early. Meanwhile, steps have been taken to ensure that cancer medicines are available at prices lesser than MRP printed on them," Alok said.

His reply could not convince the Opposition members and senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi confronted him saying that the central government could not be blamed for this because the drug manufacturers did not approach NPPA for price fixation.

"Various cancer medicines are being sold at three to eight times their wholesale price. It should be a matter of investigation as to how these drugs have been allowed to be sold illegally in Bihar without fixing prices. The state government should ban their sale," Sushil said.

Sushil, who is also the Leader of Opposition, said the normal rule followed by NPPA is that there should not be more than 16 per cent difference between the wholesale price and the MRP of a medicine. A majority of pharmaceutical companies does not go to the authority for price fixation and enter the medicine market illegally.

As arguments over the issue extended, energy and commercial taxes minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav intervened, stating that the Leader of Opposition had said the correct thing and "proper legal action would be taken in the matter. Nobody would be allowed to loot the people of Bihar".

However, Bihar Chemists and Druggists Association president Santosh Kumar Singh told The Telegraph: "Various cancer drugs are sold below MRP in the state since January this year as part of a joint effort by the seller and the state drug controller." He added that the prices of cancer drugs in Bihar were lesser in comparison to that in other states.

Teacher vacancies

In reply to another question, Alok said all efforts were being made to improve teaching facilities at Patna Dental College. Advertisements have been posted to fill up vacancies of teachers, while Rs 2.5 crore would be spent to purchase equipment. "These are being done to ensure that students could be admitted for the academic session 2016-17," he added.

Indian Dental Council (IDC), which is the competent authority for dental colleges, had stopped admissions to the college in 2015-16 over the lack of faculty and facilities. Its Bihar chapter has written again that the facilities have not been improved and students should not be admitted to the Bachelor of Dental Sciences (BDS) course in 2016-17 as well.

The Legislative Council was adjourned during the zero hour after opposition parties created ruckus demanding government action against minorities welfare minister Abdul Gafoor for meeting jailed gangster Mohammad Shahabuddin, lodged in Siwan jail.