Prices of nearly 900 essential medicines, including painkillers and antibiotics, are set to rise by around 0.65 per cent starting 1 April following a directive from India’s drug pricing regulator.
The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) yesterday announced that manufacturers may increase the maximum retail price of scheduled formulations included in the National List of Essential Medicines without requiring prior government approval.
The marginal increase is based on changes in the wholesale price index for calendar year 2025, which rose by 0.64956 per cent compared to 2024.
The affected medicines encompass approximately 900 formulations that include pain relievers, antibiotics, anti-infectives and treatments for chronic diseases.
These scheduled formulations have their prices controlled by the NPPA through ceiling prices that manufacturers cannot exceed.
The price revision comes at a time when pharmaceutical manufacturers face increased input costs due to supply restrictions linked to conflicts in West Asia.
The NPPA regularly undertakes such revisions as part of its mandate to fix and revise prices of pharmaceutical products whilst enforcing provisions of the Drugs Price Control Order.
The regulatory framework allows manufacturers of scheduled formulations to adjust pricing annually based on wholesale price index fluctuations.
This year’s increase marks one of the smallest annual revisions in recent years, significantly lower than the 10.7 per cent hike implemented in April 2022.
The National List of Essential Medicines ensures crucial drugs remain accessible and affordable to the Indian population while allowing for market-linked price adjustments.
