The medical devices manufacturing industry received a jolt last week when the Department of Pharmaceuticals announced the inclusion of cardiac stents under the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013, a decision that had been expected since the inclusion of the devices in the National List of Essential Medicines in July this year.

Unhappy over the decision, which is expected to bring relief to patients in need of angioplasty for blocked arteries, the Medical Technology Association of India (MTaI) said: “The decision disregards the innovative nature of the medical technology sector that has evolved over the past 20 years globally and is still evolving.”

The prices of the stents fluctuate wildly, with drug eluting stents going up to as much as ₹2 lakh, and bare-metal stents costing ₹20,000-40,000, adding to the high out-of-pocket health expenditure in the country.

“Surprised and disappointed” over the decision, MTaI said this would have an implication on the “patient’s right to choose for their own medical care based on quality and innovation of a product.” The cardiac stent industry in India is pegged at over ₹2,000 crore.

The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority in a report estimated that about 32 million people in India are afflicted with Coronary Atherosclerotic Heart Disease annually, of which at least 2 per cent (or 6.4 lakh) are treated with angioplasty.

While the government has not announced the capped prices of stents yet, the prices notified under the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) could be an indicator. Under CGHS, bare-metal stents are priced ₹10,000-12,000, while drug-eluting stents cost about ₹25,000.

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