Title: Assessment of Impact of ‘Drug Price Control Order 2013’ For Essential Medicines in India
Authors: Dr Sonali Ramakant More, Dr Balasaheb Baburao Ghongane
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.18535/jmscr/v5i2.124
Abstract
Drug Price Control Order (DPCO) 2013 was issued by Central Government to make available essential medicines at reasonable cost. Present study was planned in year 2013 to estimate perceived and economic impact. It was cross sectional, observational study. Questionnaires were filled by each 60 clinicians, pharmacists, patients, postgraduate medical students, interns. Maximum Retail Prices (MRPs) of 348 essential medicines were searched in CIMS printed hand-books in last quarter of 2012 and each quarter of 2013. MRPs of 287 essential medicines were available. Percentage change in MRPs was calculated. The awareness and knowledge of DPCO 2013 was highest amongst pharmacists (100%) followed by clinicians (80%), postgraduate students (68.33%), interns (58.33%) and least in patients (21.68%). 83% pharmacists, 74% clinicians, 58% post-graduate students, 35% interns, 22% patients were responded that beneficiary entity after DPCO 2013 implementation is patient. 88.33% pharmacists opined that essential medicines e.g. azithromycin, metoprolol, diclofenac were unavailable. Out of 287, MRPs of 250 essential medicines were reduced. 2 drugs were showing 75-100% price reduction and 164 drugs were showing 0 to 24% reduction. The maximum percentage reduction in MRP was seen for chlorambucil (80.64%) followed by vitamin A (79.33%). The awareness and knowledge of DPCO 2013 was insufficient in postgraduate medical students, interns as compared to pharmacists. MRPs were reduced significantly with Chlorambucil, Vitamin A, Famotidine, Bupivacaine, Artesunate etc so as to make them affordable for common man; however there was non-availability of commonly used essential medicines after DPCO 2013 implementation.
Keywords- Essential medicines, Drug Price Control Order 2013, Drug prices, Maximum retail prices, Pharmacoeconomics.
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