Karnataka DC dept asserts NPPAs Pharma Sahi Daam boosts access to fair & reasonable prices of medicines
June 23, 2023
The Karnataka drugs control department asserts that the NPPA’s Pharma Sahi Daam accelerates access to fair and reasonable prices of medicines.
Even as the acceptance of Pharma Sahi Daam has been a positive one, the state drugs control department has reiterated that all pharma companies, pharmacy trade, and the public need to download Pharma Sahi Daam App from the Google play store. This will provide them updated information on the right cost of medicines which account for 40 per cent of expenses in patient care.
In order to ensure a comprehensive adoption of Pharma Sahi Daam, the state drugs control department organised an IEC (Information, Education, Communication) activity recently associating the pharmacy trade associations along with department’s Bengaluru Circle 3 and 4 represented by Manjula, Malikarjun Nagur, Ganesh Babu and Bhagyajyothi to create an awareness about the proper usage of Pharma Sahi Daam mobile app, Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) and benefits given to consumers under DPCO 2013.
Pharma Sahi Daam enables transparency in pricing by promoting clear and consistent pricing practices. It encourages the stakeholders to provide accurate information about the pricing of the product. It also supports the enforcement of the regulations related to the pricing and its distribution. It encourages the pharmacy trade and pharma companies to adhere to the regulatory requirements enforced by the state drugs control department.
The big benefit of Pharma Sahi Daam is that it provides an understanding to the public on the pricing rights as a consumer. It seeks to empower the patients and the consumer to make informed choices and report any instances of unfair pricing practices.
According to BT Khanapure, Karnataka drugs controller, the aim of the Pharma Sahi Dam is to ensure that all medicines are sold at fair and reasonable prices. The intent is to ensure high quality medicines can be accessed by the patient. This brings in the data collection, compilation, monitoring of the movement of the scheduled and non-scheduled formulations. It also helps keep tabs on the collection and purchase of the medicines marketed in the state.
The objective behind the Pharma Sahi Daam is that it would ensure no shortage of drugs throughout the country. People should get the affordability and availability of the medicine at the fixed rate. In this regard, we have urged all pharmacy trade associations to report any untoward violation of MRP on medicines to the state drugs control enforcement teams. This is in the interest of the public who can have access to standard quality medicines, added Khanapure.
Dr. Amaresh Tumbagi, additional drugs controller, Karnataka drugs control department said that the biggest gain is the affordability, availability of essential quality drugs with the use of Pharma Sahi Daam app. It indicates the price pattern of the drug molecule available in the market to both the doctor and the patient. To this end, Pharma Sahi Daam plays an advisory role to the purchaser or patient to request doctors to prescribe generic medicines so that it becomes within one’s means to buy it. Besides, it assists the Karnataka Price Monitoring Resource Unit (KPMRU) staff to identify medicines that are being sold more than the ceiling price fixed by NPPA.
WHO reports that around 68% of the Indian population have limited or no access to essential medicines. Rural India spends 77 per cent of their expenditure on health on medicines while urban India spends around 70 per cent of the same on medicines. "In this background, the intent is that patients need high quality and reasonably priced medicines," said Dr Tumbagi.
PHARMABIZ.com