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DoP initiates measures to regulate MRP on imported medical devices
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Ashwani Maindola, New Delhi
November 26 , 2015
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Alarmed over the huge disparity in the prices of medical devices and to
ensure that the devices remain affordable and accessible to the common
man, the department of pharmaceuticals (DoP) has started measures to
regulate the MRP on the imported medical devices which causes price
disparity and lead to phenomenal rise in prices of medical equipments.
In
this connection, the DoP convened a meeting of all the stakeholders in
which officials of the Union health ministry, medical device importers,
manufacturers and representatives of Association of Indian Medical
Device Industry (AIMED) were present. The meeting discussed the pricing
of cardiac stents, pacemarkers, implants, etc.
In the meeting, it
was conveyed to the industry that the government has made its
intentions clear about regulating the MRP on the imported medical
devices which causes price disparity and lead to rise in prices of
medical equipments.
During the meeting, it was told that the
government directed all importers and manufacturers to submit their MRP
to National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) by 30 November and
to ensure all unit packs of medical devices carry the MRP - not only on
the shelf boxes.
It was informed that NPPA will thereafter define
the price cap on these implants to address the huge price disparity and
to ensure the devices remain affordable and accessible to the common
man.
AIMED issued a statement here about the meeting called by
secretary DoP where representatives of NHSRC, ministry of health, CDSCO
and NPPA were present along with AIMED and some domestic Indian
manufacturers and implant importers.
The DoP had earlier
requested implant importers and manufacturers to consider to self
regulate and bring down their MRP by 40-50 per cent. But the importers
expressed their inability to make this changes.
The AIMED
representatives cautioned the government of the malpractice prevalent in
trade of putting removable stickers with MRP on shelf packs/unit packs
and being substituted by traders and the need to ensure preprinted
prices on unit packs.
According to Rajiv Nath, forum coordinator
of Association of Indian Medical Device Manufacturers, “The malpractice
of arbitrary MRP labeling is widely prevalent and the situation is
serious enough to warrant immediate government’s intervention to rectify
the situation. The government has a duty to protect the Indian patients
from undue enrichment by unscrupulous traders and manufacturers whereby
retail prices go up when ex factory prices are going down and to ensure
that there is level playing field between domestically produced medical
goods and imported ones.”
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