India's head of National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority leaves position

The chairman of India’s National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority has been removed from his position.

Injeti Srinivas has become director general of the Sports Authority of India, but will continue to hold his position as chairman of the NPPA until alternative arrangements can be made. He has been chairman of the body since June last year, and in July 2014 the NPPA implemented price controls on more than 100 cardiovascular and diabetic drugs. In December, it capped the prices of 52 additional therapies under the Drugs Price Control Order, leading to protests by drugmakers and industry representatives. The NPPA announced that it was withdrawing previously-issued instructions allowing price caps on non-essential therapies.

The NPPA also announced that in 2014 the prices of essential treatments rose by 3.8% year-on-year. Mr Srinivas said: “The notified ceiling price with respect to each formulation is valid for a period of five years from the date of original price notification, but subject to annual revision to be notified by the NPPA, which would be effective from the first day of April every year, according to the annual [wholesale price index] notified by the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion with respect to the previous calendar year.”