Get registered, NPPA tells pharma firms

Ambika Sharma

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Tribune News Service

Solan, May 11

With top 59 of the 100 pharmaceutical companies failing to seek registration under the Integrated Pharmaceutical Database Management System (IPDMS), the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority has directed the companies to complete the procedure or face action.

The authority had earlier fixed October 30, 2014, as the last date for making online registration under the new system and all companies were provided a user ID and a password. All manufacturers are required to make available details such as production, procurement courses and product list.

The authority has directed top pharmaceutical firms to ensure compliance or face action as laid down under the DPCO 2013 and the Essential Commodities Act, 1955.

Since the authority which is supposed to implement the Drug Price Control Order has to follow a cost-based mechanism for price fixation and revision of drug prices, it needs credible data for the same. Such revision were earlier made merely on the basis of data of a few top companies.

The data generated through the IPDMS will now help in price fixation of new drugs, monitoring the production and availability of scheduled formulations and the active pharmaceutical ingredients contained in them, besides monitoring the price of non-scheduled formulations according to the guidelines issued by the authority, a copy of which was available with The Tribune.

Since the state houses nearly 650 pharmaceutical companies, including Ranbaxy, Torrent, Cipla, Cadila, Galpha, USB, several firms in Himachal too were yet to supply this information to the authority.