India expects to benefit from new US President Trump's moves on drug prices

The pharmaceutical sector in India is set to gain rather than be impacted with the new US President Donald Trump's decision to reduce drug prices, given that the country's generic medicines are already affordable. To make some more drugs affordable, India's National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority capped prices of 11 essential drugs, while those of 22 medicines have been revised, reports The Pharma Letter’s India correspondent.

Drugs for the treatment of cancer, HIV, arthritis, psoriasis, gastroesophageal reflux disease, tuberculosis, bacterial infections and acid reflux, among others, have had their prices revised.

In a recent notification, the Indian government's regulatory agency slashed prices bringing down retail costs by 30%-50%. "Manufacturers not complying with the ceiling price shall be liable to deposit the overcharged amount along with interest under the provisions of the Drugs Prices Control Order, 2013," the regulator said. The move aims at reducing the prices of commonly-used drugs for critical diseases by expanding the span of price regulation to cover new drugs.