New Delhi: In its latest move to make essential medicines more affordable to all, the national drug pricing regulator, National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), on Friday announced to cap the prices of 36 drugs including those used to treat infections and diabetes.
According to NPPA, the capped medicines join the 348 essential drugs list. This covers up to 30 percent of the total drugs sold in the country where less than 20 percent of its people are covered by health insurance.
An official said that antibiotics, BCG vaccine and few cardiovascular drugs will now cost less.
The recommendations will be sent to the Ministry of Health by mid-October for clearance, the official added.
Global and Indian drugmakers have been hit by wide-ranging government-imposed price reductions in the last one year in India.
According to reports, the NPPA is working on a list of mass consumption, essential life-saving drugs which it thinks should be included in the essential medicines list.
Earlier in July, the NPPA had capped the prices of more than 100 medicines that are not part of the essential medicines list.
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