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The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority of India (NPPA) has fixed the price of two Covid-19 drugs, Budesonide and Dexamethasone, at ₹40.17 per tablet of 9 mg and ₹3.6 per tablet of 6 mg, respectively, exclusive of goods and services tax (GST).
According to an order from the NPPA, while the price cap of Budesonide is for manufacturers Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd and Sun Pharma Laboratories Ltd, the price of Dexamethasone has been fixed for Cadila Healthcare Ltd and Zydus Healthcare Ltd.
MRP of devices
Meanwhile, the NPPA has also ordered that the maximum retail price (MRP) of medical devices such as pulse oximeter and oxygen concentrators cannot be increased by more than 10 per cent in a year. It has asked all manufacturers and importers of pulse oximeter and oxygen concentrators to submit the MRP details in the prescribed format latest by May 22.
The NPPA referred to an earlier memorandum issued in March last year to bring these medical devices under the Essential Commodities Act.
Furthermore, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) issued an advisory about the minimum standard of oxygen concentrators for Covid case management for use especially in home settings. According to the guidelines, an oxygen concentrator should provide a continuous flow of concentrated oxygen (>90 per cent) from room air through one oxygen outlet, minimum flow of up to 5 litres per minute or more, and should contain an oxygen monitor to verify the concentration. It should have a digital or analogue meter that displays cumulative hours of device operation.
“It is advised that oxygen concentrators of less than 5 litres per minute may not be sold under the misleading label of ‘for home- based Covid care’. It is further advised that oxygen concentrators must be purchased with consumables required to operate. User care instructions and protocols, including guidance for replacement of accessories and consumables and sale decontamination of reusable parts and technical maintenance protocols,” the advisory added.
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