NPPA to Revisit Price Controls on Coronary Stents in Early 2018

India’s National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority said it will revisit the ceiling prices imposed earlier this year on coronary stents.

In a Nov. 9 memorandum, NPPA indicated this may happen as early as January 2018.

The authority also set price caps for knee implants this year. Average prices were slashed by up to 85 percent for coronary stents and 70 percent for knee implants, industry lobbying group AdvaMed reported in a petition filed with the U.S. Trade Representative (IDDM, Oct. 23).

NPPA issued the new memorandum after it received a request from at least one international medical device manufacturer — Abbott Healthcare — to withdraw its coronary stents from the market because of “commercial unviability.”

NPPA called on all stent importers and domestic stent manufacturers to provide any additional feedback on the matter by Dec. 13, 2017. — Ana Mulero