The Supreme Court on Tuesday expressed serious concern over the prices of life-saving medicines, especially cancer medicines. During the hearing, Justice Sandeep Mehta said, “This is robbery in broad daylight with the patients.” The court raised questions on the margin between Retail Price (PTR) and Maximum Retail Price i.e. MRP. The bench also raised questions over the lack of effective control on such prices of essential medicines. The bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta said that some medicines are bought by retailers for around ₹ 2,700. These are sold to patients at an MRP of ₹27,000. The bench said that payment for expensive medicines in government health schemes like Ayushman Bharat also puts a burden on the government funds. The next hearing of the case will be on September 29. The petition demanded control over medicines and medical devices. This hearing in the court was on the petition demanding mandatory prescription of generic medicines. The petition demands fixing the starting price of non-listed medicines and imposing a limit on the prices of medical devices. Petitioner Kishan Chand Jain said that about 82% of the medicines are out of the categories listed under the Drug Price Control Order (DPCO), 2013. Manufacturers do not come within the pre-fixed price range for such medicines. Difference in prices of other medicines The bench also noted the difference in prices of commonly used medicines. She said cholesterol-lowering drugs can be quite expensive if sold as unlisted formulations. Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance’s lawyer Kapil Sibal said that the huge margins seen in retail prices do not necessarily remain with the pharmaceutical companies. He also urged the Supreme Court to investigate the prices at which medicines are sold to stockists and retailers. Center said- We are ready to provide affordable medicines. Additional Solicitor General KM Nataraj said that the Center is committed to providing affordable medicines. He said that the government is ready for reforms and also mentioned the Jan Aushadhi Scheme.
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कैंसर की दवा की 10 गुना कीमत क्यों वसूल रहे: सुप्रीम कोर्ट बोला- रिटेलर को ₹2700, मरीज को ₹27000 में मिल रही; ये दिनदहाड़े डकैती
