NPPA decides to uncap 98 life-saving drugs

In a major setback to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s plan to provide affordable healthcare to people, the central pharma pricing authority has decided not to cap the prices of 98 life-saving drugs due to non-availability of any information about these essential drugs.

With this decision, the prices of life-saving drugs used for treating various diseases such as tuberculosis, cardiac conditions, anemia, malaria and infections, would not be available at the rates fixed by National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), putting an extra financial burden on patients.

The important drugs of which prices cannot be fixed include albumin, drugs of antiretroviral therapy (ART), anti-tuberculosis, antifungal, anti-malarial medicines.