Stent price cap: loopholes closed for hospitals, suppliers

The National Pharmaceuticals Pricing Authority (NPPA) has directed hospitals to issue detailed bills to the patients specifically and separately mentioning the cost of the coronary stents, along with the brand name of the manufacturer and importer, batch number and other details, minister of state for chemicals and fertilisers Mansukh Mandaviya told Parliament on Tuesday.

In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Mandaviya also said that non-compliance with this provision will be treated as deliberate distortion of evidence along with charges of overpricing, inviting prosecution under the Essential Commodities Act.  

"Through NPPA, the Centre is closely monitoring the situation and has alerted the state governments and state drug controllers to monitor the availability of stents. The industry has also been apprised that all manufacturers and importers are under legal obligation to maintain smooth production and supply of coronary stents of all brands which were available in the country before the price cap," said Mandaviya.

The price control of stents will result in annual savings of about Rs4,450 crore for patients, said Minister of State for Chemicals Mansukh L Mandaviya in another written reply to the Lok Sabha.

The NPPA had notified the ceiling price of coronary stents at Rs7,260 for bare metal stents and Rs29,600 for drug-eluting ones. The corresponding average MRPs before the notification stood at Rs45,100 and Rs1.21 lakh.