Government caps prices on 41 essential generic medicines for diabetes, cardiovascular and lifestyle related conditions

To make essential medicine more affordable Government has set the price cap for 41 new drug formulations. These medicines are mostly used for the treatment of diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, fever, stress, pain and other lifestyle-related health conditions.

The notification from the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), mandates the price exclusive of GST for the generic drug formulations (typically more affordable than branded drugs) with an aim to curb profiteering in the pharmaceutical sector.

The list includes a combination of widely used drug formulations, Empagliflozin, Metformin, Atorvastatin, Ezetimibe, Melatonin, Zolpidem, and Paracetamol, which are prescribed for chronic conditions like Diabetes, Cholesterol, Sleep Disorder, Nutritional, Inflammation and Pain.

A quick comparison with the price list of February implies that most of the prices have remained consistent across February and June, apart from the combination of Atorvastatin and Ezetimibe, which has witnessed a slight reduction of 3.3 per cent.

These prices are only applicable to manufacturers and marketing companies which applied for price approval under DPCO. Only GST can be added if it was paid by the manufacturer.