India’s new drug pricing policy - Here's what Gauri Kamath (blogger- http://apothecurry.wordpress.com/) has to say

I was just going through another of the brilliant Pharma posts by  Gauri , and really needed to share what the post said.
Here's an abridged version of the same Check out the full story : at http://apothecurry.wordpress.com/2012/12/13/indias-new-drug-pricing-policy-will-data-be-the-stumbling-block/

• On December 7(2012) ,India’s National Pharmaceutical Pricing Policy 2012 was finally tabled in Parliament. 
• The Policy envisages fixing ceiling prices of specified strengths of 348 essential medicines. The ceiling will be calculated as a simple average of all brands of the specified drug owing one per cent or more of value market share.  Effective execution therefore rests largely on data on prices and market share.

• Strangely enough, the Policy puts the responsibility of verification of all data squarely on the shoulders of the pricing regulator. “Wherever required this data would be checked by appropriate survey /evaluation by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority,” it says.

Although , you can find the Medicine Price Fixed by National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) Government of India using this link

http://nppaindia.nic.in/nppaprice/newpricesearch.aspx

This further adds to the confusion
It appears as if there is little choice in the matter. It may be that the regulator has examined the cost and effort of creating its own database  and dispensed with the idea as being unfeasible or impractical though it doesn’t say so anywhere. But as the Policy rolls out in April 2013, if it does, these are pertinent points to ponder over.


Funbysun

 

Cipla launched its first biosimilar drug in India

On April 17, Cipla launched its first biosimilar drug in India. The product is Etacept, a branded biosimilar of Pfizer’s Enbrel (etanercept).




The drug treats rheumatoid arthritis (RA) an autoimmune disease that leads to painful and debilitating inflammation, predominantly of the joints, and is estimated to impact 0.7 per cent of the Indian population above the age of 16 years. Cipla imports the biosimilar from a Chinese company.   Cipla’s Etacept will retail at Rs 6150 per 25 mg dose of the drug which is 30 per cent lower than Enbrel’s Rs 8700 per dose besides being a tad less than the Rs 6525 per dose that Pfizer charges under a patient assistance programme. Patients inject two doses per week.

Pharma World News - Abbott recalls FreeStyle InsuLinx blood glucose meters in the US

The company has determined that at extremely high blood glucose levels of 1024 mg/dL and above, the FreeStyle InsuLinx Meter will display and store incorrect test result in the memory , that is 1024 mg/dL below the measured result. For example, at a blood glucose value of 1066 mg/dL, the meter will display and store a value of 42 mg/dL (1066 mg/dL - 1024 mg/dL = 42 mg/dL).




No other Abbott blood glucose meters are impacted by this issue.



Abbott has notified the US FDA and all relevant healthcare authorities in the other countries. Abbott is working with the individual regulatory agencies around the world where the affected products have been sold.