NLEM List: For the first time in many years, the prices of nearly 800 medicines and medical devices that are included in the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) ie the list of essential medicines are going to increase by 10 percent. Giving this information on Thursday, government officials said that this is being done in view of the sharp rise in the Wholesale Price Index (WPI).
The annual increase of medicines listed in NELM is on the basis of WPI. The medicines included in this list are counted in the category of essential medicines and they are used in many health programs of the government apart from retailing.
According to the Office of the Economic Advisor in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the WPI inflation across the country had risen by 12.96 per cent in January, as against 2.51 per cent in January, 2021. After April 2021, it remains in double digits.
scheduled drugs
Officials of the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) said that since WPI is taken as the basis for changes in the prices of select medicines, the effect of this sharp increase will be reflected in the new prices effective from April 1, 2022.
NPPA officials said, “Discussions are taking place at the internal level and the prices of medicines included in NELM may be increased by more than 10 per cent, as the WPI base has to be taken into account.”
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Medicines included in the NELM list are used in the treatment of diseases such as fever, infections, heart diseases, hypertension, skin diseases and anemia. This includes antibiotics such as paracetamol and azithromycin used to treat bacterial infections, anti-anemic prescriptions such as folic acid, vitamins and minerals.
Medicines are used in the treatment of COVID-19
Some medicines are used to treat moderate to severe COVID-19 patients. Also it includes steroids like prednisolone.
About 6,000 formulations available in the Indian market are scheduled drugs, which means they are under price control or their maximum retail price is fixed by the NPPA. In the past few years, many medical devices like coronary stents and knee implants have also been brought under price control.
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patients will have problems
Chinu Srinivasan, associated with the All India Drug Action Network, a patient rights group, said that while a steep hike in prices may be logically justified, it can cause a lot of problems to the people.
He said, “There have been cases in the past where WPI has increased significantly but this has been arranged for calculation of drug prices as WPI calculation is dependent on increase in goods basket which is not directly linked with pharmaceutical industry. Is.”
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