NEW DELHI: National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has sought data on price to retailers and annual turnover from all companies involved in the manufacturing of nicotine replacement therapies (NRTs).
Officials said this will be used to fix the ceiling price of these products which help people quit smoking or chewing tobacco. NRTs, which come in different forms such as mouth dissolving strips, tablets, and oral inhalers, provide a controlled amount of nicotine to help reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms.
The data has been sought from manufacturers and marketing firms on NRTs containing nicotine in 2 mg and 4 mg strengths (about half the weight of a grain of table salt).
“The information may be furnished positively within seven days from the issue of this OM (office memorandum) for taking appropriate action for fixation of ceiling prices pursuant to the issue of the Revised Schedule-I of DPCO, 2013,” said the authority in the OM issued with a copy to apex pharma associations, including IDMA, IPA, OPPI, FOPE, FICCI, ASSOCHAM, among others for information and necessary action.
NRT formulations were included in the National List of Essential Medicine (NLEM), 2022, for the first time and with the revision of Schedule-I of the Drugs Prices Control Order (DPCO), 2013, along with the NLEM, these formulations were added to the schedule’s list.
