Industry & Economy
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Pharmaceuticals
Pharma policy must strike balance between drug cost and safety: CII
Our Bureau
New Delhi
,
Sept. 15
THE Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has said that any policy for the pharmaceutical sector must strike a balance between affordable healthcare and availability of safe and efficacious medicines, besides providing an impetus for Research & Development.
In its response to the Task Force recommendations of exploring options other than price control, it has stated, "The pharmaceuticals industry recommends a short-term price freeze at current levels with inflationary adjustments on a year-to-year basis.
"In the medium term, with industry participation a comprehensive and well-thought-through policy needs to be evolved.
"The Mashelkar Committee recommendations must be implemented to spur Indian research."
The chamber has said that the recommendations of the task force would constrain the industry growth at a time when it is on the verge of a new era requiring substantial investment to become an export powerhouse and be R&D-driven.
According to a note by the CII, extending the list of essential drugs to 354 for the purpose of price monitoring and control could eventually lead to several unintended consequences, including severe shortage of essential medicines, lowered quality and reduced access to healthcare.
On de-branding: "The Task Force's recommendation to de-brand selected drugs and promote generic-generics would shift the decision-making power from the doctor to the chemist or trade. This will be unacceptable to the doctor community and endanger patients. This measure could also lead to a reduction in quality of drugs as retailers will push only those generic-generics with the highest margins," added the note.
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