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DoP invokes Para 3 of DPCO, 2013 to ensure uninterrupted supply of knee implant system
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Ramesh Shankar, Mumbai
September 29 , 2017
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The Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) has invoked paragraph 3 of Drugs
(Prices Control) Order, 2013 (DPCO, 2013) to ensure compliance of the
price capping of the primary knee and revision knee along with
maintaining its uninterrupted supply in the country.
As per
paragraph 3 of DPCO, 2013, the government may, with a view to achieve
adequate availability and to regulate the distribution of drugs, in case
of emergency or in circumstances of urgency or in case of
non-commercial use in public interest, direct any manufacturer of any
active pharmaceutical ingredient or bulk drug or formulation to increase
the production and to sell such active pharmaceutical ingredient or
bulk drug to such other manufacture(s) of formulations and to direct
formulators to sell the formulations to institutions, hospitals or any
agency as the case may be.
Under the provision, for the purpose
of giving any direction under sub-paragraph (i),call for such
information from manufacturers of active pharmaceutical ingredients or
bulk drugs or formulations, as it may consider necessary and such
manufacturer shall furnish the required information within such time the
government may fix.
The DoP decided to invoke the powers under
paragraph 3 of DPCO, 2013 to ensure uninterrupted supply of knee implant
system in the country, as after fixing the ceiling price of knee
implants, in the larger public interest, uninterrupted supply of knee
implant system will have to be ensured by the government.
Now,
the DoP has directed the companies to furnish the production figures for
2015-16; 2016-17 and 2017-18; to maintain production/import/supply of
the orthopedic knee implant systems at the same levels before August,
2017; and to submit a weekly report on orthopedic knee implant system
produced and distributed. This DoP order will be valid initially for six
months period.
Earlier on August 16 this year, the government
had brought orthopedic knee implant system under price control, slashing
the prices of knee implants ranging from 59 to 69 per cent.
According
to the August 16 notification issued by the NPPA, the standard, widely
used cobalt chromium in knee replacement surgery will now cost Rs.54,720 as against an earlier MRP of Rs.1,58,324.
Similarly, the price of special metals like titanium and oxidised
zirconium have been slashed by almost 70 per cent, to Rs.76,600 from Rs.2.49
lakh. In case of revision knee replacement, which is usually done if
the primary replacement fails, prices of implants have been cut by 59
per cent. Primary knee replacement system has been fixed in the price
range of Rs.38,740, Rs.24,280, Rs.16,990, Rs.9,550 and Rs.4,090 respectively based on the patient’s condition and requirement.
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