Karnataka targets Centre with demands for price control on expensive meds, raids to persist

The next phase of raids will focus on antiretroviral drugs, higher-generation and critical antibiotics, medical devices, and hospital consumables with significant financial implications for patients

Source

The Hindu — Science & Tech →

Quick Revision

Prelims-testable facts

01The Karnataka government has flagged a wide disparity between the landing/procurement cost and maximum retail price (MRP) of high-cost medicines, cancer drugs, antibiotics, medical devices, and hospital consumables.
02Pharma firms supply drugs at low institutional prices but patients are billed near the Maximum Retail Price (MRP).
03The Drugs Price Control Order (DPCO), 2013, is the primary statutory framework for notified drug price ceilings.
04Karnataka has asked the Centre to mandate transparency by requiring hospitals to display both landing cost and MRP on patient bills.
05The Karnataka government has requested the Centre to expand the list of drugs under price control under the DPCO.
06Regulation of trade margins on essential high-value medicines and consumables is being sought by the Karnataka government.
07The Centre is being asked to amend pricing rules, which would implicate the DPCO and bodies that implement it.

Trap alerts

Most people think that the Drugs Price Control Order (DPCO) is a state-level regulation, but actually it is a central government regulation.
Most people think that the Karnataka government is only concerned with high-cost medicines, but actually they are also concerned with medical devices and hospital consumables.

Current-affairs link

The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has been regulating the prices of essential medicines in India since 1998.

Prelims Practice MCQs

Single facteasy

The next phase of raids will focus on which of the following?

A.Antiretroviral drugs, higher-generation and critical antibiotics, medical devices, and hospital consumables
B.Vaccines, insulin, and essential medicines
C.Cosmetics, perfumes, and luxury items
D.Food and beverages

The next phase of raids will focus on antiretroviral drugs, higher-generation and critical antibiotics, medical devices, and hospital consumables to control the massive markup on high-cost drugs.

Multiple statementsmedium

Consider the following statements regarding Raids on High-Cost Drugs: 1. The next phase of raids will focus on antiretroviral drugs, higher-generation and critical antibiotics, medical devices, and hospital consumables. 2. The state of Karnataka is the only state affected by the high-cost drugs. 3. The Centre is responsible for conducting the raids. How many of the above statements are correct?

A.Only one
B.Only two
C.All three
D.None

Statement 1 is correct because the fact list specifies that the next phase of raids will focus on the mentioned items. Statement 2 is false because the fact list does not limit the affected state to Karnataka alone, but rather mentions that Karnataka is affected. Statement 3 is false because the fact list states that the Centre is responsible for responding to Karnataka's concerns, not conducting the raids.

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