NPPA extends revised ceiling price of blood thinner Heparin till September 2021

New Delhi: The revised ceiling price of blood-thinning Heparin Injection has been further extended by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) till September 2021.

As per the recent notification of NPPA, the ceiling prices of Heparin Injection 1000IU/ ml and Heparin Injection 5000IU/ ml, fixed under Para 19 of the DPCO, 2013 via a notification dated 30.06.2020 and extended up to 31.03.2021, has been further extended up to 30.09.2021 or until further order, whichever is earlier.

Medical dialogues team had earlier reported that the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) had permitted companies to raise the price of Heparin Injection, a critical blood-thinning drug, until December end. NPPA had set the ceiling price of 1,000 International Units Per Millilitre (IU/ml) of heparin injection at Rs 24.39 per ml and 5,000 IU/ml of injection at Rs 60.54 per ml.

Heparin is used as a blood thinner and Heparin Injection 5000IU/ ml has been considered as an essential COVID plus medicine which is widely used for COVID-19 treatment.

Earlier, NPPA had received representations from several manufacturers mentioning that there was an upward increase in prices of API of this drug. NPPA got the issue examined through the Export-Import Monitoring Committee that had reported 200% increase in landing cost of Heparin API and on its recommendation; NPPA had revised the ceiling price of Heparin upward for a period of six month to ensure its continued availability during the pandemic.

In view of  this, NPPA, in its latest notice stated,

"All the notes and other contents mentioned in the original order S.O. 2151(E) dated 30.06.2020 read with extension order S.O. 4333(E) dated 03.12.2020 shall remain the same and are applicable except that in Para 6, Notes (a) and Note (k) for the phrase '31st March 2021' it is to be read as '30th September 2021 or until further order, whichever is earlier.' "

As per the report published in Express Pharma, Dr Ketan R Patel, Chairman and MD, Troikaa Pharmaceuticals said that the prices of Heparin Injection for use in COVID-19 patients with severe infections are continuing to rise due to high demand. In light of this, the Indian government's decision is commendable and in line with the current market situation.