Medical devices notified as drugs must print MRP: NPPA

Over 20 medical devices that are notified as 'drugs' must all carry the maximum retail price on the packs, drug pricing regulator NPPA said on Friday. These devices include heart valves, surgical dressings, condoms, stents, disposable hypodermic syringes and orthopaedic implants. "It has come to knowledge of NPPA that several medical devices are available in the market and also being used in health care facilities where no MRP is printed on the package by manufacturers/importers," National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) said in a notification.

This is a blatant violation of law of the land, it added. The government has notified 22 medical devices as drugs under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and the Drugs and Cosmetic Rules, 1945, it said. In a tweet, NPPA said: "22 medical devices notified as 'drugs' must print MRP on the packs under DPCO, 2013; State Govts/State Drug Controllers requested to enforce law." These devices are non-scheduled formulations and their sales are governed by the provisions of DPCO 2013, the notification said. The prices of non-scheduled formulations are monitored by the government. Manufacturers are not allowed to increase the price of these more than 10 per cent per annum, NPPA said.

Condoms, intra uterine device containing copper and coronary stents have been included in the Schedule-I of DPCO, 2013, and are under price control, it added.