Reacting to a PIL filed by the All India Drug Action Network, the Supreme Court bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud on Thursday (October 5) directed Additional Solicitor General Pinky Anand to prepare a price chart of essential medicines for Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra and present to the court.

The PIL sought direction to bring clarity to the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) 2012 on which the Union of India sought one further opportunity.

On Thursday senior advocate Colin Gonzalves, appearing for the petitioners, submitted to apex court: “We must have a formula regarding drugs control. Also, I agree that the NP Policy 2012 must have strict rules regarding drugs control by the pharma industry. On cost of production and the formula of the price, I have gone through other policies and formulas on the cost of the production in Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. Dismantling of NPPA has been overruled by the government.”

The bench stated that price control is beneficial to the consumer, because the poor can afford them too.

At this the bench ordered that Anand should prepare a price chart of the essential medicines of the each state.

—India Legal Bureau