NPPA Hikes Price of Cholesterol-Lowering Drug Atorvastatin
New Delhi: The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has recently revised the ceiling price of Atorvastatin 10 mg, a widely used cholesterol-lowering medication. Initially set at Rs 4.94 per tablet, the revised price, based on updated July 2022 data, has been marginally increased to Rs 4.97 per tablet, following a review order by the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP).
The DoP’s intervention was prompted by a review application filed by Abbott Healthcare challenging the methodology used in determining the price. The drugmaker contested that the NPPA had not accounted for updated Price to Retailer (PTR) data during its earlier price calculations. The review authority instructed the NPPA to revisit the ceiling price calculations for three drug formulations, including Atorvastatin 10 mg, in adherence to the Drug Price Control Order (DPCO), 2013.
Abbott Healthcare argued that the NPPA did not consider the updated Price to Retailer (PTR) for certain brands while finalizing the ceiling price under the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) in 2022. Brands such as Atchol from Aristo Pharma, Avas from Micro Labs, and Lipikind from Mankind Pharma were cited as examples of omitted data. Additionally, Abbott pointed out procedural differences, such as the absence of a corrected worksheet being made available for stakeholder review, as outlined in the NPPA’s December 2022 meeting.
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