On August 29, 2022, Union Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, addressed the Silver Jubilee (25 years) Celebrations of the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) in New Delhi, Delhi.
- At the inaugural ceremony, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya introduced the Integrated Pharmaceutical Database Management System 2.0 (IPDMS 2.0) and the upgraded Pharma Sahi Daam 2.0 App.
Dignitaries
Bhagwanth Khuba, Minister of State (MoS), Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, was the guest of honour. On the occasion, participants included Stakeholders from the Pharmaceutical and MedTech device industries, Central & State Governments, Price Monitoring & Resource Units, Civil Society, patient advocacy groups, Pharmaceutical Research & Academic Institutions, Think-Tanks, and the national media.
National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA)
On August 29, 1997, the Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, established the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) as an attached office.
- Since July 2008, it has been under the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers.
It performs a wide range of tasks, including implementing and enforcing the provisions of the Drugs Price Control Order (DPCO), monitoring the availability of drugs, identifying any shortages, and taking corrective action.
Integrated Pharmaceutical Database Management System 2.0 (IPDMS 2.0)
IPDMS 2.0 is an integrated responsive cloud-based application developed by NPPA with technical assistance from the Centre for Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY).
- It is intended to maximize operational efficiencies to support the government’s focus on “Ease of Doing Business”.
It would offer a single portal for submissions of multiple forms as required by the Drug Price Control Order (DPCO), 2013.
- It would also enable paperless functioning of NPPA and allow stakeholders from across India to engage with the National Pharma Pricing Regulator.
Pharma Sahi Daam 2.0 App
The Pharma Sahi Daam 2.0 App will have new features such as speech recognition; search for medicines by brand/formulation, availability in Hindi and English, a sharing function, a customer complaint management system, and bookmarking medicines.
- It will be available on both iOS and Android.
It is an online tool for searching medicine substitutes as well as instantly checking the price of both Scheduled/ Non-Scheduled medicines at the time of purchase.
- Online complaints may be filed regarding medicine overpricing, unavailability, the sale of new medicines without prior price approval of NPPA, supply denial, and the selling of any medicine through the app.
Launching of A Publication Chronicling The 25 Years’ Journey of NPPA
During the inaugural session, a publication titled “An Overview of Drug Pricing @ NPPA 25 Year Odyssey” was also released.
- The publication also describes the development of India’s drug regulatory system, with a focus on pricing regulation.
Initiatives of the Government of India in the Health Sector
i.In the union budget for 2014–15, the Government of India (GoI) declared that two essential initiatives—the Free Drug Service and the Free Diagnosis Service —would be prioritized in order to pursue “Health for All”.
ii.The GoI developed operational guidelines as well as a Model RFP (Request for Proposal) for implementing the Free Drug Service Initiative of the National Health Mission (NHM), which emphasized generic drug procurement.
- It supports the free distribution of essential drugs at public health facilities.
iii.The Free Drug Service Initiative is supported not just with regard to medicines but also with regard to a number of other elements, such as the strengthening or establishment of reliable mechanisms for quality control and procurement.
iv.States were given incentives under NHM to implement the Free Drug Service Initiative and to further provide everyone with access to affordable medicines.
- The policy of offering free essential medicines in public health facilities has subsequently been announced in all states.
v.The Department of Pharmaceuticals introduced the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) in November 2008, under which special outlets called Janaushadhi Kendras are opened to provide generic medicines at reasonable prices.
Recent Related News:
On July 21, 2022, Union Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers formally introduced 3 sub schemes under the parent scheme “Strengthening Pharmaceuticals Industry” (SPI). The Sub Schemes Under SPI are: Pharmaceutical Technology Upgradation Assistance Scheme (PTUAS); Assistance to Pharma Industries for Common Facilities Scheme (API-CF); Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Promotion and Development Scheme (PMPDS). These schemes aim to strengthen Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the pharmaceutical industry.
About Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers:
Union Minister – Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya (Rajya Sabha – Gujarat)
Minister of State (MoS) – Bhagwanth Khuba
