Drug pricing: Cong hits out at Modi govt

Congress on Friday hit out at Narendra Modi government for ‘stripping’ the drug pricing authority of powers to cap prices of non-essential drugs saying the prime minister has extracted a ‘very heavy price’ from the country’s ‘poor and ailing’ for ‘American visa and PR exercise’. The party termed the decision by the BJP-led government as ‘anti-people and anti-national’.

Department of Pharmaceuticals under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers had last week ordered National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority to withdraw a guideline under the Drug (Prices Control) Order of 2013 that gave the pricing authority powers to cap prices of non-essential drugs.