Govt to take steps to provide drugs at cheaper rates

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The government would take urgent steps to distribute medicines at cheaper rates through Medical Services Corporation, Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy said on Wednesday.

Responding to a calling attention motion by V.D. Satheesan (Cong) in the Assembly, Chandy said it had come to the notice of the government that large-scale exploitation was there in the drug marketing sector.

In his reply, health minister Adoor Prakash said only 74 medicines in the country had been listed by National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority.

However, variants of the same medicines were being sold in the market at higher prices by companies after securing the permission from drug controllers of different states.

Drugs controller had been asked to take action against companies indulging in irregularities, he said, adding, that the state government had limitations in the area.

Earlier, Satheesan wanted a legislation to ensure quality of medicines and their fair pricing. He said the state should form a statutory authority on the lines of the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority.

He said the “drug mafia” was involved in the sale of life-saving drugs at exorbitant prices and was attempting to prevent the functioning of fair price medical stores in the state.