News
Slash in prices of ten expensive cancer drugs, 13 other medicines
View(s):The Government has introduced regulations to control prices of ten high cost medicines used in cancer treatment.
Under an amendment to a gazette notification issued on December 14 last year, the Government has fixed maximum tender prices for selected high cost cancer drugs commonly used on patients.
Accordingly, price restrictions have been imposed on cancer drugs Trastuzumab, Bevacizumab, Rituximab, Pegasparaginase, Pemetrexed Disodium, Bortezomib, Peginterferon alfa 2a, Pegilgrastim and tablets Abiraterone acetate and Mycophenolate Mofetil. The drugs are used on patients with breast/prostate cancer, transplant patients, acute leukemia and for chemotherapy.
National Medicinal Regulatory Authority (NMRA) Chief Executive Officer Kamal Jayasinghe said that of the Rs.7 billion spent annually on cancer drugs, about 60 percent was spent on these ten drugs. He said the Government would restrict prices by taking 95 percent of the tenders for them while the private sector would be given only five percent.
This move would regulate the prices of cancer drugs, but those who wished to buy from the private sector would have to pay a higher price, he said.
Meanwhile the maximum retail prices of 13 essential pharmaceutical drugs and two medical devices have also been brought down.
These include anti biotics Ceftazidime and Ceftriaxone injections, Cefotaxime injections which are commonly used for joint infection and urinary tract infection, the antifungal Fluconazole, Insulin soluble human, Biphasic Isophane Insulin and Glimepiride tablets to control sugar, Sitagliptin that controls high blood pressure, Tamsulosin used in the control of prostrate enlargement, Montelukast used for patients with allergy and asthma and the neuropathic pain killer Pregabalin.
Also there is relief for epileptic and high cholesterol patients with the reduction in the prices of the drugs Lamotrigine and Atorvastatin.
Price reductions have also been made in the blood glucose monitoring system and the strips for the monitoring of blood glucose.
All prices have been calculated taking the maximum and minimum retail prices of different brands of the same generic name and working out the median prices.