GoM on Pharma Policy Meets Industry, Consumer Bodies (India)
This article was originally published in PharmAsia News
Executive Summary
An India Group of Ministers (GoM) is currently hearing arguments from drug-manufactures and consumer advocates regarding the national regulation of drug prices. Currently, the government maintains a list of "essential" pharmaceuticals for which it sets price caps in hopes of ensuring these medications reach the nation's poorer citizens. Representatives for the pharmaceutical industry argued that drugs in India are already far more inexpensive than in surrounding countries. Ranbaxy Chairman and Managing Director Malvinder Mohan Singh pointed out that although India makes up 14 percent of its total sales, it accounts for only 1 percent in terms of value. He contested that even if costs were further limited, the country does not posses the capabilities to ensure drugs reach those in remote areas. Consumer advocates who addressed the committee called for the creation of a government organization, which would be responsible for regulating the pharmaceutical industry, including cost monitoring. (Click here for more