NPPA invites representation and suggestion on Coronary Stents

Through a recent notification Government of India, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Department of Pharmaceuticals, and National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has invited the representations and suggestions with regard to pricing and other related issues from all the domestic stent manufacturers and importers.

Notice states that 'Coronary Stents' ceiling prices were fixed vide NPPA Notification No.S.0.412(E) dated 13th February 2017 and that is valid for one year. This decision needs to be revisited in the month of January - February 2018.

NPPA has received some representations with regard to pricing and other related issues.

All the domestic stent manufacturers and importers are advised to submit any representation and suggestion on this issue positively by December 31, 2017

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that NPPA had capped the prices of Stents at Rs 29,600 to bring down the bring down the treatment cost for the benefits of patients.

Read also: Stent Prices Capped at Rs 29,600, profits slashed

The impact seems to have not turned out so well as a recent news in ET states that cutting down the stent prices by over 50% by the drug pricing regulators has not lowered the treatment cost as a leading hospital says it has "restructured procedure costs" to compensate for revenue erosion.

Ashutosh Raghuvanshi, CEO of Narayana Hrudayalaya told ET, "The pricing mechanism in the industry was structurally defective, which means that the profitability was coming only from the implant or the stent and not from the procedure."

Explaining to ET Raghuvanshi said, "These procedures were not appropriately priced so there was a correction which was required, so we have deconstructed our packages now. To the patient, the treatment cost will still be the same as what it was before the price control."