The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : It’s inevitable

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Monday, Jul 07, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

It’s inevitable

V.S. Palaniappan and Anasuya Menon

PHOTO: S. SIVA SARAVANAN

GETTING COSTLIER: Now, people have to cope with the rise in the cost of medicines. —

When it comes to inevitable expenses, drug prices are no exception.

With the rise in prices of surgical items and life-saving drugs, medical treatment is going to be all the more expensive.

Enquiries with hospitals and leading pharmaceutical product distributors reveal that the cost of one category of cancer drugs has gone up by 140 per cent and that of normal oncology drugs by 20 to 32 per cent.

According to the general manager of a pharmacy in a city hospital, only 40 per cent of the drugs are governed by the Drug Price Control Order. The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) and Director General of Drug Control exercise their authority in the pricing of only 40 per cent of the medicines.

The remaining 60 per cent is not governed by the Drug Price Control Order, he says. In the last few months, the prices of over-the-counter drugs have gone up by 10 paise to 90 paise a tablet. Owing to the rising manufacturing costs, pharmaceutical companies are being forced to increase the price of the medicines, says U.K. Ananthapadmanabhan, President of Kovai Medical Center and Hospital.

Pharmaceutical companies increase the Maximum Retail Price of the drugs every year.

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