<div align="justify">In a move that would benefit lakhs of orthopaedic patients, the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority on Wednesday announced fixing the ceiling prices of 15 types of knee implants, reducing the market prices of several devices by more than 60%.<br /> <br />Eleven types of knee implants required in primary surgery and four implants for revision surgery would now come under price control.<br /> <br />“It has been decided to bring all knee implants required in surgeries under price control. Total savings to patients needing knee implant surgeries will be at least Rs 1,500 crore due to this decision,” said Ananth Kumar, the union minister of chemicals and fertilizers, which governs the department of pharmaceuticals.<br /> <br />The new ceiling prices will come into effect once these are notified in the official gazette.<br /> <br />Once the new pricing system is implemented, the cost of the implants needed in a revision surgery of the knee is likely to come down to Rs 1.14 lakh from the previous price range of Rs 4.35-9 lakhs.<br /> <br />For surgeries requiring implants made out of cobalt chromium, the total prices of the implants have been capped at Rs 54,720 from the existing cost Rs 1.58 lakh. Similarly, the prices of implants made out of titanium oxide alloy or zirconium are now capped at Rs 76,600 from the existing price band of Rs 2.5-4.5 lakh.<br /> <br />For implants, made out of cobalt chromium (used in 80% cases); titanium oxide and zirconium and high flexibility implants, the average price reduction would be 69%. For revision implants, the price reduction would be 59%.<br /> <br />The government decided for the price capping following two NPPA analysis of the trade margins on the implants required in primary and revision surgeries.<br /> <br />The first analysis showed that for femoral, tibial plate, insert and patella implants, the average trade margin varies from 211-449% whereas for the total knee system, the margin is 313%.<br /> <br />The second analysis for revision surgery demonstrated how the total trade margin varies between 182-277% for femoral, tibial plate, insert and patella implants.<br /> <br />“Profiteering by itself is evil; in scarce resources of life sustaining and saving drugs it is diabolic, a menace to be fettered and curbed,” Kumar said, quoting an order of the Supreme Court.<br /> <br />“It is noticed that orthopaedic knee implants are having unjustified, unreasonable and irrational high trade margins leading to their exorbitant prices which affect the out of pocket expenses of patients,” the NPPA said in the order.<br /> <br />Lakhs of patients are not able to pay for arthroplasty procedures because of the exorbitant prices. The estimates of such patients requiring arthroplasty intervention, both diagnosed and undiagnosed, is about 1.5 to 2 crores out of which only about one lakh plus well off patients are in a position to pay for it every year,” it said.<br /> <br />The drug price regulator had earlier fixed the ceiling prices of coronary stents, overruling strident opposition from the industry.</div>
<div align="justify">In a move that would benefit lakhs of orthopaedic patients, the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority on Wednesday announced fixing the ceiling prices of 15 types of knee implants, reducing the market prices of several devices by more than 60%.<br /> <br />Eleven types of knee implants required in primary surgery and four implants for revision surgery would now come under price control.<br /> <br />“It has been decided to bring all knee implants required in surgeries under price control. Total savings to patients needing knee implant surgeries will be at least Rs 1,500 crore due to this decision,” said Ananth Kumar, the union minister of chemicals and fertilizers, which governs the department of pharmaceuticals.<br /> <br />The new ceiling prices will come into effect once these are notified in the official gazette.<br /> <br />Once the new pricing system is implemented, the cost of the implants needed in a revision surgery of the knee is likely to come down to Rs 1.14 lakh from the previous price range of Rs 4.35-9 lakhs.<br /> <br />For surgeries requiring implants made out of cobalt chromium, the total prices of the implants have been capped at Rs 54,720 from the existing cost Rs 1.58 lakh. Similarly, the prices of implants made out of titanium oxide alloy or zirconium are now capped at Rs 76,600 from the existing price band of Rs 2.5-4.5 lakh.<br /> <br />For implants, made out of cobalt chromium (used in 80% cases); titanium oxide and zirconium and high flexibility implants, the average price reduction would be 69%. For revision implants, the price reduction would be 59%.<br /> <br />The government decided for the price capping following two NPPA analysis of the trade margins on the implants required in primary and revision surgeries.<br /> <br />The first analysis showed that for femoral, tibial plate, insert and patella implants, the average trade margin varies from 211-449% whereas for the total knee system, the margin is 313%.<br /> <br />The second analysis for revision surgery demonstrated how the total trade margin varies between 182-277% for femoral, tibial plate, insert and patella implants.<br /> <br />“Profiteering by itself is evil; in scarce resources of life sustaining and saving drugs it is diabolic, a menace to be fettered and curbed,” Kumar said, quoting an order of the Supreme Court.<br /> <br />“It is noticed that orthopaedic knee implants are having unjustified, unreasonable and irrational high trade margins leading to their exorbitant prices which affect the out of pocket expenses of patients,” the NPPA said in the order.<br /> <br />Lakhs of patients are not able to pay for arthroplasty procedures because of the exorbitant prices. The estimates of such patients requiring arthroplasty intervention, both diagnosed and undiagnosed, is about 1.5 to 2 crores out of which only about one lakh plus well off patients are in a position to pay for it every year,” it said.<br /> <br />The drug price regulator had earlier fixed the ceiling prices of coronary stents, overruling strident opposition from the industry.</div>
