The drug used for firstline treatment of swineflu, Oseltamivir, may be brought under price regulation in the country. The drug is marketed by six players in the country that includes the innovator drug firm, Roche Holding AG, which sells it under the brand ?Tamiflu?. The generic players which manufacture and market the drug under different brand names include Hetero Drugs Private Ltd (Fluvir), Cipla Ltd (Antiflu), Ranbaxy (FluHalt). Also, Strides Arcolab Ltd and Natco Pharma Ltd a re among generics manufacturers. The move to bring the drug under price net has been suggested by the Parliamentary standing committee on chemicals and fertilizer chaired by Ananth Kumar.
The committee has held, ?The chances of medicines for the treatment of swineflu becoming costlier cannot be ruled out in view of the high volatility of prices of raw material, especially from China. In such a scenario, leaving the pharma industry to fix the price of medicine on their own doesn?t seem to be an appropriate action.? The committee further recommends that government should initiate immediate appropriate measures to ensure easy availability. Oseltamivir is not covered under the list of essential drugs that National Pharma Pricing Authority regulates. However, the drug price regulator does have the power to regulate prices of other drugs, if the same is warranted in public interest. Currently, 10 tablets (75 mg) of oche?s Tamiflu cost Rs 950, while an equivalent of the Hetero?s Fluvir (the largest selling generic drug in the segment), according to industry sources) costs Rs 450.
The department of pharma had requested the drug firms to keep the price of Oseltamivir within a ?reasonable range?, a term the standing committee has found too broad and vague that could be ?manipulated? by the pharma companies.