India’s NPPA Places Price Controls on Coronary Stents

Five months after deciding that coronary stents should appear on the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM), India’s National Pharmaceutical Price Authority (NPPA) has imposed price controls on the devices.

The government placed stents on the NLEM in July after numerous meetings with stent manufacturers, cardiologists and NGOs. At the time, experts concluded that the government should carefully consider price controls.

The Medical Technology Association of India (MTaI), an industry group, said in a statement that it was “surprised” and “disappointed” by the decision, which it said will limit doctors’ ability to provide patients with innovative stents that they might need, but that cost more than the price controls allow. — Jeff Kinney