The Centre on Thursday told the Delhi High Court that pharmaceutical companies, including Novartis India Limited and Cipla Ltd, appear to be in "consonance" with implementation of the revised drug pricing and the two sides are "very close" to resolving the dispute.
Petitions were filed by pharmaceutical companies and an association of medicine manufacturing companies challenging the government's new drug pricing order that asked them to slash prices of 348 medicines. The Centre informed the bench of Justice B D Ahmed and Justice Vibhu Bakhru that they have held two meetings with the representatives of pharma companies and are very close to resolving the issue.
"The company representatives, after deliberation with each other, appear to be in consonance with implementation of the notified prices from date of notification in sale of all stocks. "They were requested to issue price list in Form-V as per the provision of...Drug Price Control Order (DPCO), 2013 which they also appear to be in agreement," Central Government Standing Counsel Jasmeet Singh.
"The company representatives mentioned difficulties on labeling aspect particularly on vials in respect of existing stock in the market," as per the brief note of the meeting held between the pharma firms and the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA).
The representatives of pharma companies held meetings with the Director of NPPA on the court's direction issued on September 9 to settle the matter "once and for ever".
The Centre also said that the company representatives have suggested that NPPA may also conduct meetings with the chemists association in this regard. Meanwhile, the counsel for pharma companies assured the court that they are close to resolving the issue and will give written submissionS to NPPA in next two weeks for consideration.
It also said some more time be given to resolve the issue finally. Agreeing to both sides' submission, the court granted them time till December 5 and said "you come to the conclusion and tell us. Let's finish it. The issue should not go to the next year".
The firms have also challenged the provisions of the 2013 Drug Price Control Order (DPCO) of NPPA that had asked them to replace stocks in the market with those carrying reduced prices within 45 days of new price notification.
Besides Novartis, the Indian arm of Swiss firm Novartis AG, pharma firms Wockhardt Limited, Lupin Limited, Intas Pharmaceuticals Limited, Alembic Pharmaceuticals Limited, Sandoz Private Limited and Chiron Behring Vaccines Private Limited had approached the court against the new drugs pricing order.
Earlier, Cipla Ltd and four other companies had moved the court against the 2013 DCPO. The DCPO had ordered reduction of prices of some medicines within 45 days of issuance of the notification and that the decreased prices be made effective on drugs already in the market.
The deadline for implementation of the notification ended on July 29.
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