PHM-Exch> India: Health Min decides to set up expert panel to revise list of essential medicines

[Claudio Schuftan]

From: Meghana Bahar meghana at haiap.org

Friday, February 26, 2010 , Joseph Alexander, New Delhi

Even as the national pharmaceutical policy is still stuck in the racks, the
health ministry has decided to set up an expert panel to revise the national
list of essential medicines (NLEM) while the pharmaceutical department is
keen to bring all 354 essential drugs in the list under price control.

Health Ministry has in principle given approval to the proposal from the
Drug Controller General of India to set up an expert committee to revise the
list of NLEM and the announcement may come very soon, sources said. The list
was revised last time in 2003.

Meanwhile, the pharmaceutical department wants to include all the essential
drugs under the price control mechanism. At one point of time, in 1979 there
were 342 medicines under price control, slowly that number went down to 142
and now it has come to 74. Also the present Drug Prices Control Order does
not define what is essential or life saving medicines. This is being sought
to be rectified, sources added.

The present DPCO of 1995 was framed under the Pharma Policy of 1994. At that
time the policy aimed towards reducing monopolistic tendencies. Market
extent was the deciding factor to include drugs. These 74 are those drugs
which were selling the most. Essential was not a consideration to that
policy. When the Supreme Court directed that the essential drugs must be
taken under control and the Health Ministry was asked to make the list of
essential medicines, they have now published it. If the NLEM are brought
under price control, 12 per cent more drugs will be under control. At
present around 20 per cent drugs are under control.

The panel is expected to take a look at more therapeutic categories to be
included in the list of essential medicines. The NLEM, first formulated in
1996, was modelled on the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s essential
medicines list. It was later revised once in 2003 to accommodate 71 new
medicines. Three medicines were dropped from the list as well.

Source link:
http://www.pharmabiz.com/article/detnews.asp?articleid=54278&sectionid=
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