With an aim to provide relief to patients, the Government has slashed prices of about 39 drugs, including anti cancer drugs, anti diabetes, anti viral and antibacterial drugs, antiretroviral drugs, anti-TB drugs, and drugs used in Covid treatment, as it revised the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM).
The commonly-used drugs which have been brought under price control include anti-cancer like Azacitidine and Fludarabine antiretroviral such as Dolutegravir, Darunavir+Ritonavir, new generation TB medications such as Bedaquiline and Delamanid, anti-allergy Montelukast, anti diabetes drugs like Teneligliptin and Insulin Glargine, and tobacco cessation and addiction treatment drugs like nicotine replacement therapy.
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya had launched the revised NLEM at an ICMR event recently.
The 39 new drugs include Amikacin (antibiotic), Azacitidine (anti-cancer), Bedaquiline (anti-TB), Bendamustine Hydrochloride (anti-cancer), Buprenorphine ( opioid antagonists), Buprenorphine+Naloxone (opioid antagonists), Cefuroxime (antibiotic), Dabigatran (anticoagulant), Daclatasvir (antiviral), Darunavir+Ritonavir (antiretroviral), Delamanid (anti-TB), Dolutegravir (antiretroviral), Fludarabine (anti-cancer), Fludrocortisone (corticosteroid), Fulvestrant (anti-cancer), Insulin Glargine (anti-diabetes), Irinotecan HCL Trihydrate (anti-cancer).
The deleted drugs from the NLEM list are Alteplase (clot buster), Atenolol (anti-hypertension), Bleaching Powder, Cetrimide (antiseptic), Erythromycin (antibiotic), Ethinylestradiol+Norethisterone (birth control), Ganciclovir (antiviral), Lamivudine+Nevirapine+Stavudine (antiretroviral), Leflunomide (antirheumatic), Nicotinamide (Vitamin-B) among a few others, said an official from the Ministry.
Talking about the list, a senior official stated, “Some of these drugs have been discontinued, new therapies and higher options have been launched. Due to this fact it was essential to delete them.” ICMR deleted 16 odd drugs from the record. However, not all-important drugs will come under price capping, he added.
At present, around 374 medicines are part of NLEM which are subject to price controls. About 18 per cent of the drugs sold in India are under price controls.