NEW DELHI, Aug 3— In a bid to improve affordability and ensure access to essential healthcare, the Union government has fixed retail prices of 35 crucial drug formulations, including widely used antibiotics, cardiac, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory and psychiatric medicines.
The Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers issued a formal notification on Saturday, bringing a broad range of branded medicines under the price ceiling framework of the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA).
“The revised prices are aimed at strengthening public health access and making life-saving drugs more affordable,” an official from the ministry said. The pricing decision was made under the provisions of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order (DPCO), 2013, specifically invoking paragraphs 5, 11 and 15.
Among the medicines now under price control are fixed-dose combinations of Aceclofenac, Paracetamol and Trypsin Chymotrypsin, oral anti-diabetics like Empagliflozin, Sitagliptin and Metformin, and cardiovascular drugs including Atorvastatin with Clopidogrel or Ezetimibe.
One tablet of Aceclofenac-Paracetamol-Trypsin Chymotrypsin, manufactured by Akums Drugs & Pharmaceuticals and marketed by Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, will now cost Rs 13, while the same formulation by Cadila Pharmaceuticals is capped at Rs 15.01.
For cardiovascular care, a single tablet of Atorvastatin 40 mg combined with Clopidogrel 75 mg is priced at Rs 25.61. Capsules containing a triple combination of Atorvastatin, Clopidogrel and Aspirin will retail at Rs 5.88.
Diabetic patients will see lower prices too, with each tablet of Empagliflozin, Sitagliptin and Metformin (by Exemed Pharmaceuticals) now priced at Rs 16.50. Similarly, Atorvastatin and Ezetimibe tablets — used to treat high cholesterol — have been capped between Rs 19.86 and Rs 30.47 depending on dosage strength.
Paediatric suspensions such as Amoxycillin and Potassium Clavulanate (Zydus Healthcare) are now priced at Rs 3.32 per ml, while Cholecalciferol (Vitamin D) drops and Diclofenac injections have also been brought under regulation. Diclofenac Injection is now fixed at Rs 31.77 per ml.
The NPPA clarified that the prices do not include Goods and Services Tax (GST), which can be added where applicable. Manufacturers must comply with statutory obligations, including updating and submitting price lists in Form–V via the Integrated Pharmaceutical Database Management System (IPDMS), and must forward these to both the NPPA and respective state drug controllers.
Retailers and dealers are required to display the updated prices prominently, as per paragraph 24 of the DPCO, 2013.
The NPPA also warned that violations of the fixed prices could lead to penalties under the DPCO and the Essential Commodities Act, 1955. This includes the recovery of overcharged amounts with interest.
“All earlier price notifications for these specific formulations now stand superseded,” the official added, stating that the new price regime is expected to enhance transparency in drug pricing and ease financial burdens on patients across India.
