India plans to impose price controls on medical device makers and distributors

In a major crackdown, India's drug regulator the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority has come down hard against medical device manufacturers, importers and distributors of cardiac stents, drug eluting stents and orthopaedic implants. The move is being seen as a precursor to the NPPA bringing medical devices under price control, reports The Pharma Letter’s India correspondent.

Disconcerted at the unusual spikes in the prices of medical devices, especially stents, valves, pacemakers, titanium plates for fractures, artificial joints, and catheters, the drug regulator has sought pricing data and availability of devices from several companies operating in this field.

Market sources indicate that if devices are brought under the price control regime of the NPPA, prices of medical devices could slump by around 60% to 80%, which would be a boon to patients.