INDIAN HEALTH MINISTRY DEFERS NPPA'S PRICE-REGULATION REQUEST

The Indian Ministry of Health has deferred a request made by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), the country's drug-pricing body, to regulate a handful of popular medications until the government finalizes its long-pending new pricing formula. The ministry's decision comes in the wake of questioning by drugmakers as to how the NPPA calculates pricing-increases.

Among the products for which the NPPA requested regulation rights were three top-selling medications manufactured by drugmaker Nicholas Piramal — Sorbitrate, which dilates blood vessels to relieve chest pain; Phenargan 25 mg-2 ml, an anti-allergy injection; and Refresh Tears 10 ml, an eye drop.

The Health Ministry's revised pricing policy, which will propose legislation to be enacted over the next four years, will likely be finalized within the next two months, according to local news reports.