Q. Consider the following statements:
1.The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) is responsible for regulating drug pricing and ensuring the availability of affordable medicines.
2.The NPPA annually revises the ceiling prices of scheduled medicines on the basis of Wholesale Price Index (WPI).
3.The scheduled medicines included in Schedule-II of the Medication Pricing Control Scheme (MPCS), 2013 are called as essential medicines.
4.All medicines under the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) are subject to price regulation.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Explanation –
Statements 1, 2 and 4 are correct. The NPPA, established in 1997, is an Indian regulatory agency that works under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers. Its primary responsibility is to monitor and control the prices of pharmaceutical drugs, as well as ensure the availability of affordable medicines in the market. The NPPA annually revises the ceiling prices of scheduled medicines based on the Wholesale Price Index (WPI). NPPA is allowed to direct a price hike of over 10% for the drugs and devices listed on the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM). All medicines under the NLEM are subject to price regulation.
Statement 3 is incorrect. The scheduled medicines included in Schedule-I of the Drug Price Control Orders (DPCO), 2013 are essential medicines.
Source: The Hindu
