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NPPA floats RFP to conduct study on drug price regulatory policies and methods in 10 countries
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Gireesh Babu, New Delhi
January 18 , 2022
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In an effort to improve its policies and methods to make drugs accessible at affordable cost in the country, the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) is planning to study the drug pricing policies from almost 10 countries in different regions and the lessons learnt from these countries in terms of access to medicine at affordable prices.
The drug price regulator has issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for conducting a study on the subject, inviting tenders from reputed firms or research institutions with the last date of submission of the bid (technical and financial) as 3 pm on February 21, 2022. The last date of seeking clarifications is February 7, while the opening of the financial bid is fixed as March 4, 2022.
The study will be conducted on drug pricing regulatory policy and framework of ten countries - Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, China, European Union, United Kingdom, Australia, USA, Brazil, South Africa and Thailand - and to identify the best practices and lessons learnt from these policies.
The scope of work also includes to study the operational implementation of the drug pricing policies in different countries and to identify best practices and lessons learnt. Other policy aspects that impact availability and affordability of medicine in these countries also will be part of the study.
The objective is to understand the drug pricing methodology adopted in the international market and to understand the lessons learnt and best practices from various countries in terms of availability and affordability of medicines.
The study will be primarily based on secondary sources of data and other information available in public domain and through interviews and focus group discussions with foreign missions, relevant trade and industry associations, drug exporters, foreign manufacturers to elicit their feedback and views.
The proposal is valid for a period of not less than 90 days from the due date for receiving the proposal and the firm or expert institution which are bidding to conduct the study shall fulfill eligibility conditions stipulated by the NPPA for participating in the bidding process.
The candidate for the study will be selected based on the marks they gain in various parameters, including the experience of the entity of the group, the experience of the team in studies and research in regulatory policy on drug pricing, presentation on methodology of the study and other aspects. The bidder obtaining the highest combined score in evaluation of technical and financial bid as per the stipulations, would be ranked as the H-1 bidder, who shall be recommended for award of contract.
After selection, a letter of award will be issued, in duplicate, by the NPPA to the selected agency and the agency shall sign and return the letter within seven days. Successful bidders may be required to sign a separate memorandum of agreement with the NPPA. The timeline from award to work is 120 days during which the payment would be given in three tranches.
The NPPA, engaged in drug price regulation and monitoring activities, has been looking at improving its policy and framework methods in tandem with the developments in the industry and technology. Of late, it has also been engaged in monitoring and regulating medical devices and the trade margin involved in these products, especially in the wake of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic in the country.
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