NPPA fixes new ceiling prices for 33 scheduled formulations under revised Schedule I

New Delhi, March 8, 2023 :

The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has released the draft ceiling price calculation sheets for 33 scheduled formulations under the Schedule I of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013, which has been revised last year with replacing the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM), 2015 with the NLEM, 2022.

The latest set of calculation sheets, which is the 14th lot released by the NPPA so far as part of the fixation of ceiling prices under the revised Schedule I, has revised ceiling price for 24 scheduled formulations, while for the rest of the nine formulations, the ceiling price has been fixed afresh since they are new additions to the NLEM, 2022.

The draft ceiling price with revision of the previous ceiling prices include a amphotericin B (conventional) injection 50 mg, at Rs 183.11 per vial, which is 46.76 per cent reduction from the current ceiling price of Rs. 343.91 per pack. Somatostatin powder for injection 3 mg will have a revised price of Rs. 1,212.01 per unit, with a reduction of 31.12 per cent from the current ceiling price, if the draft calculation sheet is finalised by the Authority.

A combination of DPT, HiB and hepatitis B vaccine for which the prices has been proposed at Rs. 61 per unit, with a 31.6 per cent reduction from the previous ceiling price, while the ceiling price of DPT vaccine per 0.5 ml has been kept unchanged at Rs, 15.73 per 0.5 ml.

Ceiling price of gentamicin injection 40 mg/ml is proposed to be revised as Rs 1.35 per unit, which is 32.33 per cent reduction from the current ceiling price, while the ceiling price of gentamicin injection 40 mg/ml which are more than 20 ml pack, is fixed at Rs. 1.10 per unit without any change in the ceiling price.

Ceiling price of ifosfamide powder for injection 1,000 mg is proposed at Rs 284.46 per vial, with 29.02 per cent reduction from the current ceiling price, while hepatitis immunoglobulin will see a 19.82 per cent in price reduction at a proposed revised ceiling price of Rs. 4,903.95 per unit. The Authority, though considered Hepa 10 MCG pre-filled syringe 5 ml from Bharat Serums and Vaccines Ltd for the price fixation, has observed that the price per unit for the product is Rs. 8,800 per unit and this has been considered as Rs. 5,272.53, which was the maximum permissible price to retailer (PTR) as per the Authority order on March 30, 2022.

Ceiling price of albendazole 400 mg has been proposed at Rs. 6.34 per tablet, which is 25.85% compared to the previous ceiling price of Rs. 8.55 per tablet.

The newly added medicines in the list of NLEM 2022, for which draft price calculation has been released in the 14th lot include doxycycline powder for injection 100 mg at Rs, 448.27 per vial, linezolid 300 mg at Rs. 20.20 per tablet, bendamustine hydrochloride injection 25 mg at Rs. 1,041.80 per unit, glycerine/glycerol topical lotion at Rs. 1.10 per ml, glycerin or glycerol topical cream at Rs. 2.11 per gram, amikacin injection 250 mg at Rs. 44.03 per ml, amoxicillin oral liquid 125mg/5ml at Rs. 0.79 per ml, and others.

The Authority has so far fixed or revised the ceiling price of around 480 scheduled formulations in the last six months, in line with the revised Schedule I of the DPCO, 2013.

The Authority has earlier said that the number of formulations covered in revised Schedule I include 954 formulations in 388 medicines, with 56 newly added drug formulations. The formulations continued from NLEM, 2015, are around 763 and total unique formulations for which ceiling prices are to be fixed are around 819. However, in view of the expansions to the revised Schedule 1 and others, the number of formulations may increase beyond 954 formulations to around 1,000 formulations. PharmaNews