New Delhi [India], April 3 : A day after Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge questioned the hike in essential medicines' prices, Union Health Minister Manasukh Mandaviya on Monday said that the pharma company, every year increases or decreases the prices of medicines according to the wholesale price index (WPI) under the provision of Drug Price Control Orders (DPCO), 2013 made in the UPA government.
"Respected @kharge ji, Regarding the cost of medicines, I would like to humbly tell some facts about the information you have given through tweet. According to the provision of DPCO, 2013 made in the UPA government, every year the pharma company increases or decreases the prices of medicines according to the WPI," Manadaviya said in a tweet in Hindi on Monday.
He further said that in November 2022, the government revised the list and prices of essential medicines.
"Under DPCO, 2013, the work of revising the applicable ceiling price of such notified drugs has been initiated by NPPA. So far, new ceiling prices of 651 out of 870 essential medicines have been notified," the minister said, adding that due to which the approved ceiling price of medicines has decreased by an average of 16.62 per cent.
"As a result, consumers will save an estimated Rs 3500 crore annually," Mandaviya added.
Manadaviya, in a series of tweets was replying to Kharge's earlier tweet in which he took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over a reported hike in prices of some essential medicines, saying he has taken "supari (contract)" to "pick pockets" of the people.
"Mr Modi, you have taken 'supari' to pick pockets of the people," Kharge said in a tweet in Hindi on Sunday.
Kharge's attack on the Modi government came over media reports stating that 384 essential drugs and more than 1,000 formulations saw a hike of over 11 per cent effective April 1.
However, Mandaviya went on to say that the company can increase the prices of medicines with effect from April 1, 2023, to the extent of 12.12 per cent of the valid ceiling price of 651 essential medicines linked to WPI.
The Union Health Minister further said that even if the company were to increase the price in full, an average reduction of 6.73 per cent is estimated.
"And, I would also like to tell that the Janaushadhi campaign being run under the leadership of PM @NarendraModi ji is a big intervention on the supply side, which has created a high competition in the market," he added.
Mandaviya in his reply to Kharge also said that due to Janaushadhi campaign, the pharma compes do not increase the full price in spite of the limit which is allowed to increase the price under the annual WPI.
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