India's CCI slams drugmakers over anti-competitive activities

Aiming to curb unhealthy practices in the pharmaceutical sector, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) has identified key issues hurting the sector and is looking at ways to better regulate it. With branded generics dominating the Indian drug market, the CCI has called for regulation to allow consumers to buy standardized consumables from the open market, reports The Pharma Letter’s India correspondent.

In a first of its kind policy note, the statutory body, which has so far received 52 cases about anti-competitive practices in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sector, has rapped the drug sector for what it terms are non-competitive market moves.

As a CCI official pointed out: "Why should the consumer pay a premium for the same salt?"