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 The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has fixed retail prices of 84 new drugs including various anti-hypertension, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory drug combinations in a latest Authority meeting held under the chairmanship of chairman P Krishnamurthy.
The Authority has fixed price of 36 drug combinations containing empagliflozin, a compound which was patented by Boehringer Ingelheim, based on applications from marketing companies including Corona Remedies, Skymap Pharmaceuticals, Mankind Pharma, MacLeod's Pharmaceuticals, Zuventus Healthcare, German Remedies Pharmaceuticals, Alkem Laboratories, Jagsonpal Pharmaceuticals, Lupin Ltd, and Micro Labs.
It may be noted that in the previous meeting, the NPPA had said that Boehringer Ingelheim India Pvt Ltd (BIIPL) filed representations with the Authority against the retail prices recommended by the Multi Disciplinary Committee (MDC) of Experts of the NPPA in its meeting on March 3, 2025. However, the Authority in that meeting noted that the issues raised in the representation do not impact the prices recommended by the Committee.
The company raised contentions that the date of the patent expiry of empagliflozin was mentioned as March 10, 2025 in the MDC meeting minutes, while it is March 11, 2025. MDC has also incorrectly mentioned Cipla Ltd as license holder for the patent for the drug.
The company also requested to recalculate the retail price considering the prices of Boehringer and co-marketers duly authorised by it, that is by considering brands Jardiance, Gibtulo and Cospiaq only.
In the meeting held on April 29, 2025, various other anti-diabetic combination drugs with glimepiride, dapagliflozin, and sitagliptin against application from marketing firms including USV Ltd, and Mankind Pharma.
Retail prices of various blood pressure drug combinations with ingredients including telmisartan, cilnidipine, metoprolol succinate extended release have also been fixed during the meeting.
Prices of combinations such as paracetamol phenylephrine hydrochloride and chlorpheniramine maleate tablet has also been fixed by the Authority, in its latest meeting.
Prices for Paracetamol infusion for Hetero Healthcare, combination of L-Carnitine, methylcobalamin and folic acid tablets from Ozone Pharmaceuticals, and combination of rosuvastatin, aspirin and clopidogrel tablets from Unimed Technologies were also fixed after noting that these formulations were launched without price approval. The Authority has approved the lowest of the launched price, worked out price and claimed price, if any, it added.
For vitamin supplement cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) oral solution 60,000 IU in nano droplet form from German Remedies has been further revised to Rs 14.94 per ml, based on re-confirmation of data from Pharmarack.
Earlier, the Authority noted that worksheet with proposed price of Rs. 17.32 per ml was uploaded on the NPPA website on February 7, 2025, but the Authority, in its meeting held on February 25 directed to re-examine the data in the worksheet and based on this, a revised draft worksheet with proposed price of Rs. 15.15 per ml based on clarification from Pharmarack.
Similarly, the retail price of cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) oral solution 60,0000 IU for Cipla Ltd has been revised to Rs. 15.03 per ml. The Authority noted that the draft worksheet was uploaded on March 6, 2025 with proposed price at Rs. 14.96 per ml, but this was revised to Rs. 15.03 per ml on April 9, 2025 in view of the revision in the Pharmarack data, as represented by German Remedies Pharmaceuticals.
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