Cancer drugs among 384 key medicines to become cheaper
- List has 34 additions, while 26 drugs have been removed
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Lifesaving drugs, including those used for cancer treatment and palliative care, neurological disorders, diabetes, tuberculosis and heart disease, are set to become cheaper as they have been included in the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM).
With the Union government notifying 384 such important lifesaving drug, they have been brought them under price control.
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The prices of these drugs are regulated by the National Pharmaceuticals Pricing Authority (NPPA).
With this revised list, notified on 12 November, all hospitals—government as well as private—are required to keep a bulk stock of these drugs.
The list has 34 additions, while 26 drugs like Ranitidine, Atenolol and Methyldopa have been removed.
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Drugs are added or removed on the basis of their cost, effectiveness and quick availability.
“Medicines used primary, secondary and tertiary level hospitals have come under NLEM. These include medicines used in anesthesia, ophthalmological medicines, anti-cancer agents including Immunosuppressives, and medicines used in palliative care, medicines used to treat Gout and Disease modifying agents used in rheumatoid disorders, medicines used in neurological disorders and cardiovascular medicines," stated the notification.
“Besides this, anti-allergic and medicines used in Anaphylaxis, antidotes and other substances used in management of poisonings and envenomation, medicines used in dementia, anti-infective medicines, anti-bacterial medicines, anti-leprosy medicines, anti-tuberculosis medicines, antiviral medicines, medicines used in the management of HIV, medicines used in Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C," the notification said.
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K.R. Chawla, Delhi’s drug regulator said, “The drugs and medicines are examined and finalized by the group of experts following WHO guidelines. These are those drugs which are essentially required to be stored in bulk in all the government hospitals. The government is bringing quality medicines at affordable price."
In September, health minister Mansukh Mandaviya had announced that the government was working to revise the list of essential medicines and bring them under price regulation. NLEM was last revised in 2015 with 376 drugs.
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