The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has said that starting April 1, the prices of over 900 important medicines will go up by up to 1.74%. This includes drugs for serious infections, heart problems, and diabetes.
According to the Drugs (Prices Control) Order from 2013, the price of these medicines changes every year, based on the Wholesale Price Index (WPI). For the financial year 2024-25, the maximum prices were slightly increased by 0.00551% starting April 1, 2024. The WPI shows that prices rose by about 1.74% from last year.
What are the new prices?
Here are some examples of how much certain medicines will cost:
– Azithromycin (an antibiotic):
– ₹11.87 for 250mg
– ₹23.98 for 500mg
– Dry syrup with amoxicillin and clavulanic acid: ₹2.09 per ml
– Diclofenac (a painkiller): ₹2.09 per tablet
– Ibuprofen (painkiller):
– ₹0.72 for 200 mg
– ₹1.22 for 400 mg
– Diabetes medication (Dapagliflozin + Metformin Hydrochloride + Glimepiride): ₹12.74 per tablet
– Acyclovir (antiviral) medicines:
– ₹7.74 for 200 mg
– ₹13.90 for 400 mg
– Hydroxychloroquine (antimalarial):
– ₹6.47 for 200 mg
– ₹14.04 for 400 mg
Drug manufacturers can raise the retail prices of these medicines without needing permission from the government, based on the WPI. The NPPA, which is part of the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, checks and updates the prices of essential medicines every year through the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM).
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