The DPCO 2013 issued by the DOP covers the prices of 652 formulations in over 27 therapeutics. Usha Sharma talks to industry stalwarts to gauge their reactions on this move
– Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Chairman & Managing Director, Biocon
– Tapan Ray, Director General, Organisation of Pharmaceutical Producers Of India (OPPI)
– Daara B Patel, Secretary-General, Indian Drug Manufacturers Association
– Ameesh Masurekar, Director, AIOCD Pharmasofttech AWACS
– Amit Backliwal, Managing Director, IMS Health — South Asia
– Subrata Ray, Senior Vice President, Co-head— Corporate Sector Ratings, ICRA
– Sujay Shetty, Leader Pharma Life Sciences, PwC India
– Dheeraj Aggarwal, CFO, Venus Remedies
– Subhanu Saxena, Chief Executive Officer, Cipla
To conclude, post DPCO 2013, patients may spend less on medicines as the new policy underlines affordability of medines. On other hand, it is likely to hit the bottom lines of both domestic and MNC pharma companies and could even harm industry. Companies with sizable revenues from the US market will not feel the pinch as much. In the long run, government needs to find a better compromise between price and access to medicines.
(With inputs from Shalini Gupta)
