You will have to pay more for antibiotics, painkillers, and 900 essential medicines from April 1

Antibiotics, painkillers and several other commonly used medicines are set to get costlier as the new financial year kicks off on April 1. The National Pharmaceutical and Pricing Authority (NPPA) has listed 900 medicines that could get expensive from this Saturday.  

This is the second consecutive year in which the price of medicines has been hiked. 

Which medicines will get costlier? 

According to Zee Business report, essential medicines like antibiotics, painkillers, and even medicines used to treat heart ailments will get expensive from April 1.

There are 900 medicines listed by the NPPA which could get costlier by around 12 per cent. 

In a communication dated March 27, the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority said that the annual change in the WPI stands at 12.12 per cent during the calendar year 2022 over the corresponding period in 2021. 

Why are medicines getting costlier?

The report stated that pharmaceutical companies had demanded to hike in the prices of medicines amid the rising inflation. 

Annual hikes in the prices of drugs listed in the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) are based on the WPI. 

The NPPA is mandated to fix/revise the prices of controlled bulk drugs and formulations and to enforce prices and availability of medicines in the country.

It also monitors the prices of decontrolled drugs in order to keep them at reasonable levels.

The regulator implements and enforces the provisions of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order.

It is also entrusted with the task of recovering amounts overcharged by manufacturers for controlled drugs from consumers.

In February 2023, NPPA revised the retail prices of 74 formulations, including medications to treat diabetes and high blood pressure.

The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has fixed the prices under the Drugs (Price Control) Order 2013 based on the decision of the 109th authority meeting held on February 21 this year.

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