Key Points
India's drug pricing authority has increased the prices of essential drugs for conditions like asthma and tuberculosis, raising concerns about patient affordability and adherence to treatment plans...
Certain essential drugs used to treat asthma, tuberculosis and other bacterial infections are set to get costlier, according to the latest directive by India's drug pricing authority.. The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has revised the ceiling prices of 11 scheduled formulations from eight essential drugs up to 50%, by invoking Paragraph 19 of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order (DPCO), 2013...
Benzyl Penicillin 10 lakh IU injection (used for treating various bacterial infections) Atropine injection 06.mg/ml (to treat bradycardia - slow heart rate) Streptomycin powder for injection 750 mg and 1000 mg (to treat tuberculosis and other bacterial infections) Salbutamol tablet 2 mg and 4 mg and respirator solution 5 mg/ml (to treat asthma and other respiratory diseases) Pilocarpine 2% drops (used for treating glaucoma) Cefadroxil tablet 500 mg (to treat certain bacterial infections) Desferrioxamine 500 mg for injection (to treat anemia and thalassemia) Lithium tablets 300 mg (used in mental health treatment) ..
Doctors revealed that this increase in prices of essential drugs for the treatment of asthma and tuberculosis might affect patient outcomes greatly...
Experts agree that when prices for essential drugs, like those for TB and asthma, go up, patient health could worsen, and many may fail to complete their treatment...
