NPPA pulls the whip on Pharmas for overpricing, yet again

Via the schedule 1 of the Drug Price Control Order (DPCO) 2013, the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) had affixed ceiling prices of 680 drugs. However, recently the regulator has come across 613 cases of pharma companies overcharging the customers. The drugs include common bacterial infection healers, eye drops, ring guard ointment and tetanus injections.

Companies like GlaxoSmithKline, Abbott, Alembic Pharmaceuticals, Sun Pharmaceutical, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, Intas Pharmaceutical, Sanofi, Torrent Pharmaceuticals, Cipla, Lupin, Zydus Cadila and Wockhardt have been recognised as the defaulters. Abbott and Sun Pharma have appeared in the list for more than 20 times each. Earlier in the month of February, 634 such cases were reported.

NPPA has come across practices of overcharging and other cases of non-compliance, and thereby it will be issuing collective show-cause notices to the defaulters. NPPA will levy a penalty after analysing the outcome of a formal hearing and a justification from the concerned companies.