Hyderabad: The TS Drugs Control Administration seized overpriced antibiotics from a pharma firm in Armoor in Nizamabad district. TS DCA Director-General V.B. Kamalasan Reddy said that the product the meropenem injection IP 1 g, brand name Donem, was priced at Rs 1,899 per vial, against the Rs 952.68 set by the Centre’s National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA).
However, the government has fixed a ceiling price of Rs 952 for 1g vial of the said injection. “Maximum Retail Price, including a GST of 12 per cent, should not exceed Rs 1,067 for a 1 g vial of Donem Injection,” DCA said in an official statement.
As per the rules, the maximum retain price including GST of 12 per cent should not be more than Rs 1,067. The higher price was mentioned on the label of the drug manufactured by Doctor’s Life Sciences (India) Ltd in PR Palem Village, Kovur mandal, SPSR Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh.
The drug falls under the purview of price control regulations outlined in the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013. “The pricing of the product is expected to adhere to the ‘Ceiling Price’ determined by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), a body under the Government of India,” the statement added.
“The firm, in this case, was found to overprice the product, charging an excess of Rs 832 for one vial. This action is a clear violation of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013,” the statement added.
