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The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has revised the ceiling price of long-acting injectable antibiotic benzathine benzylpenicillin powder for injection 6 lacs units upwards to Rs. 13.42 per vial from the previously notified Rs. 11.97 per vial, following an order from the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP).
The DoP ordered for a review of the ceiling price fixed on February 28, 2024, based on a review application filed by drug major Pfizer.
The company said that the Price To Retailer (PTR) considered for its brand Penidure LA 6 injection was incorrect, and submitted its Form II filing in April, 2023, seeking a price revision.
The DoP, considering the arguments of both the company and the Authority, issued an order on March 20, 2026, accepting Pfizer's application and referring the matter back to the NPPA for recalculation of the ceiling price of the formulation, as per the provisions of Drugs Prices Control Order (DPCO), 2013.
The ceiling price prevailing till the revised order now, is Rs. 11.97 per vial, which was fixed on March 25, 2026, with the maximum PTR at Rs. 10.31.
The draft ceiling price released on February 5, 2024, had calculated the PTR of Pfizer's drug at Rs. 11.51 per unit. Based on the review order, the Authority revised the working sheet and issued a draft incorporating the corrected PTR of Rs. 12.89 updated for Pfizer's drug. It also noted that following the issuance of the revised draft worksheet on May 7, it has not received any representation.
The Authority, in its recent meeting, took this into account and announced that the ceiling price fixed in February, 2024, of Rs. 11.69 per vial, has been revised to Rs. 13.10 per vial. With the addition of the WPI allowed for the following two years, which came into effect from April 1 of 2025 and 2026 respectively, the ceiling price based on the 2024 notification grew to Rs. 11.97 per vial.
This has now been revised to Rs. 13.42 per vial, inclusive of the WPI revision of April, 2026, and notified through the Gazette.
According to the draft working sheet, the Authority has included a reduction of Rs 1.60 on the average PTR of Rs. 12.89 per unit, implementing the monopoly clauses considering that Pfizer is the only company having a major share in the market. The drug has a total Moving Annual Turnover (MAT) of Rs. 2.41 crore.
Penidure LA 6 is a long-acting single dose intramuscular antibiotic in the form of sterile powder for reconstitution as aqueous suspension, is used to treat various bacterial infections, including mild to moderate infections of the upper respiratory tract due to susceptible streptococci, and infections such as syphilis, among others.
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