TN chemists request fixation of selling price of medicines

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Druggists and Chemists request the State government to urge the Union Health Ministry to fix the selling price of medicine taking into account the price of raw materials and other production costs involved.

They say that there is a vast difference in the manufacturing cost and the MRP of medicinal products.

Chemists say that there is a huge price difference (MRP) between the same products sold at Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Kendra scheme and regular pharmacies, while the generic composition of a medicine is based on the same molecule.

"Over pricing by pharma manufacturers is a big challenge to middle class consumers and also leads to various unethical malpractices in the healthcare Industry. This double pricing policy also leads to various misappropriations and false propaganda by unethical e-pharmacies also," says S Ramachandran, former secretary of Tamil Nadu Druggists and Chemists Association.

He adds that the government should announce 'One Molecule, One Rate' policy on all medications.

“To lessen the burden on needy consumers, the government should totally abolish the prevailing GST on medicine. If GST is removed, automatically the MRP of medicinal products will also be reduced, " he adds.

The chemists also request some subsidy in the EB consumption of pharmacies. "Storage of medicines is very important for it to retain its 100 per cent potency. So to retain the accurate potency, good storage conditions including air conditioning and refrigeration is a must for all pharmacies. Thus, in order to maintain that, government should at least reduce the tariff for pharmacies from commercial to residential tariff or any specific tariff," said V Natarajan, treasurer of Thiruvarur District Chemists and Druggists Association.