A Akhter / New Delhi
The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has issued 103 demand notices to pharmaceutical manufacturers across the country over the past four months for alleged overcharging of medicines, the government informed Parliament on Friday. The action was taken under the provisions of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order (DPCO), 2013.
The Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers said NPPA continuously monitors the prices of both scheduled and non-scheduled medicines and initiates action whenever a prima facie case of overcharging is established. The cases are identified through multiple sources, including Price Monitoring and Resource Units (PMRUs), State Drugs Controllers, market samples, commercial databases and consumer complaints.
The government clarified that NPPA does not maintain state-wise data on overcharging by pharmaceutical companies, although the notices issued during the period include manufacturers based in Tamil Nadu.
The government also highlighted a recent amendment to the drug pricing framework. Under the Drugs (Prices Control) Amendment Order, 2026, notified on June 30, 2026, existing manufacturers launching the same new drug formulation whose retail price has already been notified by NPPA in the preceding 12 months must adopt the same retail price and inform the authority through Form-1A within one month of the product’s launch. The government clarified that Form-1A does not require domestic pharmaceutical manufacturers to register their production lines or batches.
The information was provided by Anupriya Patel in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.