Delay in framing the Pharmaceutical Policy

 In this blog I would like to share with the readers about a news came very recently in the media.Due to the delay in framing the National Pharmaceutical Policy, the control on pricing the drugs became difficult for the authority. The national pharmaceutical policy, which has been hanging fire since the year 2002 due to major differences among the stake-holders on several proposals especially on the issue of bringing more medicines under price control, may eventually see the light of the day by September this year. Just few days before, the head of the Group of Ministers on pharma policy and union agriculture minister SharadPawar said that the Group of Ministers led by him is continuously working for the policy and it will be finalised in 2-3 months time.

National Pharmaceutical Policy mainly aims to avail the drugs to the common man at an affordable price and so, Pawar's statement in this regard at a gathering of pharma people is significant . This is for the first time since the formation of the Group of Ministers (GoM) by the Prime Minster in January 2007 that Pawar has announced any time frame to finalise the recommendation on the policy. Besides, most people in the industry had interpreted the formation of GoM as yet another delaying tactics by the central government to eventually shelve the policy till the next government at the Centre as framing the policy has become a headache for the government. It was an important weapon for the opposition to attack the central government. But, the announcement by Pawar has given hope that the much awaited policy will see the light sooner than later.

The Group of Ministers, which has been moving at a snail's pace due to the GoM chairman Sharad Pawar's preoccupation with other works and also due to the sharp differences on the core issue of price control. The 7-member GoM, which was constituted to settle the issue to the satisfaction of all the stakeholders, had conducted four meetings so far. In the last meeting on April 30 the health ministry raised objection to some key proposals of the policy which was prepared by the chemicals ministry, leaving the meeting inconclusive and ineffective.

Though there are differences among the stake-holders on several proposals in the policy, the one issue that resulted in the inordinate delay of the announcement of the policy is the price control. There are differences even among the ministers on the issue. While Union chemicals minister Ramvilas Paswan has been insisting on bringing 354 medicines under price control, some of the other ministeries were against. The central government has to face astrong opposition from the pharmaceutical manufacturers on the issue of price control of the drugs. They are afraid of a tight price control by the government and say that market forces should be considered for theregulation.

According to me, the government should make some creative ideas in controling the prices before the framing of the policy. It should not affect both the patients and industry adversely. I will try to discuss about the price control in India through my next blog..

Comments are invited..

picture from: http://ravisanyasi.files.wordpress.com/2008/01/acquisitions-by-indian-ph...