Skip to main content

Indian government outlines policies on drug pricing to favor poorer patients, and increase clinical trials

Indian government outlines policies on drug pricing to favor poorer patients, and increase clinical trials

The Indian government is looking to review the existing drug price control measures in order to make medicines more affordable in the country, and at increasing the number of clinical trials taking place in the country, reports The Pharma Letter's India correspondent.

In a parallel move, the Health Ministry is also preparing a framework for public private partnership to tackle the menace of non-communicable diseases in the country, In a move that could potentially result in affordable Medicare and health security moving to a larger section of the population, the government is considering a rash of policy measures in favor of poor patients.

Talks are also on in government circles to abolish clinical trials on proven drugs that have been approved and marketed for at least two years in the European Union, United States, UK, Australia, Canada and Japan.

A draft proposal in this regard has been prepared by the Health Ministry. If instituted, it would reduce the time taken to introduce new drugs in India to just 45 days from five-six years.

Making medicines more affordable

The government has constituted a panel comprising joint secretaries from the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP), Health and Family Welfare Ministry, National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) member secretary and Drugs Controller General of India (DGCI), among others, to recommend steps to make medicines more affordable.

Continue reading this article

ᐧ

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Isotretinoin in India: A tragedy in the offing

Isotretinoin in India: A tragedy in the offing Wednesday, March 28, 2007 08:00 IST  Seema Thakral Isotretinoin is the drug of choice for severe calcitrant cystic acne vulgaris, which often causes scarring and depression from disfigurement. Isotretinoin has been called "the greatest medical advance of the 1980's." A majority of patients with acne are permanently cleared after a four to five months course of treatment. It has also been used off-label for a variety of oncology uses including: cervical cancer, head and neck cancer, squamous cell cancer of the skin, juvenile chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), and neuroblastoma. However, the drug is a proved teratogen and carries a significant risk of birth defects, if it taken during pregnancy. Birth defects, which have been documented following isotretinoin exposure include abnormalities of the face, eyes, ears, skull, central nervous system, cardiovascular system, and thymus and parathyroid glands. There is an increased ris...
Post a Comment
Read more

Combination Vaccine for Kids withdrawn

A vaccine that combines conventional MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella) with Chikenpox has been withdrawn in the United States due to a higher rate of seizures in children. In a study children aged 12 to 23 months who received the combined MMR cum Chickenpox vaccine had double the rate of seizures compared to children who got separate vaccine for MMR and chickenpox. This equates to one additional case of convulsion per 2000 vaccinations.
Post a Comment
Read more

The Influence of TheTourniquet on blood draw

[1] Various methods are used to obtain specimens for hematocrit determination in neonates. We evaluated arterial sampling and found this method to be acceptable. Arterial values correlated closely with simultaneously obtained venous samples. Venous blood obtained with a tourniquet had a significantly higher hematocrit than that obtained without a tourniquet. [2] Influence of tourniquet application on venous blood sampling for serum chemistry, hematological parameters, leukocyte activation and erythrocyte mechanical properties Background: Venous blood sampling is usually performed using a tourniquet to help locate and define peripheral veins to achieve successful and safe venipuncture. Despite widespread usage of tourniquets for venipuncture by medical and laboratory staff, very few are aware of the effects of tourniquet application on laboratory parameters. In addition, definitive guidelines regarding when and how to use a tourniquet for blood sampling are lacking. The aim ...
Post a Comment
Read more