MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF STATISTICS AND
PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF CHEMICALS
AND FERTILIZERS (SHRI SRIKANT KUMAR JENA)
(a) & (b): The Government announced the `Pharmaceutical Policy 2002` in February 2002.
However, a public interest litigation filed in the High Court of Karnataka at Bangalore
in WP No. 2168 of 2002 resulted in an Order dated 12-11-2002 which stopped the Government
from implementing the price control regime of the Pharmaceutical Policy 2002.
This Department filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) before the Supreme Court of
India against the Order of the Karnataka High Court. The Supreme Court vide its
order dated 10.3.2003 directed the Government, inter-alia, that, `we suspend the
operation of the order to the extent it directs that the Policy dated 15.2.2002 shall
not be implemented. However we direct that the petitioner shall consider and formulate
appropriate criteria for ensuring essential and life saving drugs not to fall out
of the price control and further directed to review drugs, which are essential and
life saving in nature till 2nd May, 2003`. Subsequently the Ministry of Health and
Family Welfare has brought out the National List of Essential Medicines, 2003 after
the review of the National Essential Drugs List, 1996. The draft National
Pharmaceuticals Policy, 2006 was prepared by this Department after extensive
discussions with various stakeholders, and in line with the declared objective
of the Government in the National Common Minimum Programme (NCMP). This Policy
was submitted before the Cabinet for its approval. The Cabinet considered the
Policy in its meeting held on 11th January, 2007 and decided that the matter,
in the first instance, be considered by a Group of Ministers (GOM).
(c): Under the provisions of Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 1995 (DPCO, 1995), prices
of 74 scheduled bulk drugs and the formulations containing any of these scheduled
drugs are controlled.
(d) to (h): The Department of Pharmaceuticals had prepared a draft National Pharmaceutical
Pricing Policy, 2011 (NPPP-2011) based on the criteria of essentiality and requirements
as stipulated by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. The draft National
Pharmaceutical Pricing Policy, 2011 (NPPP-2011) was circulated among the concerned
Ministries /Stakeholders. The draft Policy was also available for comments of any
other interested person on the Department`s website www.pharmaceuticals.gov.in till
30.11.2011. The views/inputs received on the draft NPPP-2011 were examined and the
matter was placed before the Group of Ministers (GoM) which met on 25.04.2012. The
Group of Ministers(GoM) in the meeting held on 27.09.2012, gave its final
recommendation on pricing of National List of Essential Medicines - 2011 based on
which National Pharmaceutical Pricing Policy 2012 has been prepared and sent to the
Cabinet on 15.10.2012 for its approval.
