NEW DELHI: The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has capped the prices of 51 Essential formulations, including those used for the treatment of cancer, pain, heart conditions and skin problems.

The prices have been slashed in the range of 6 to 53%. Officials said two separate notifications have been issued to the effect. “We have notified Ceiling Prices of 13 formulations, while revising the same for 15 formulations. Retails prices of 23 essential formulations have also been notified,” said a senior official.

Drugs, whose ceiling prices have been capped include colon or rectal cancer treatment drug oxilaplatin (injection, 100 mg), Japanese encephalitis vaccine and measles and rubbela vaccines.

Ceiling prices of drugs, including anaesthetic sevoflurane, Phytomenadione (Vitamin K1) and tuberculosis prevention BCG vaccine have been revised.

NPPA fixes the ceiling price of essential medicines of Schedule I under the Drugs Price Control Order, 2013. In respect of medicines that are not under price control, manufacturers are allowed to increase the maximum retail price by 10% annually. The calculation for essential drugs is based on the simple average of all medicines in a particular therapeutic segment with sales of more than 1%

Set up in 1997, NPPA has been entrusted with the task of fixation/revision of prices of pharma products and monitoring of prices of controlled and decontrolled drugs.