Price of essential medicines will see a price hike from April 1, 2025. The government has approved a 1.74 per cent price hike for drugs listed under the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM). This is in accordance with the annual adjustment based on the wholesale price index (WPI). According to reports, The revised prices will apply to approximately 1,000 drugs listed under the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM). Price adjustments for scheduled drugs are permitted once a year.
Pharma companies were demanding a price hike due to the rise in the raw material prices of the medicine. The government has approved a hike of up to 1.75% in sync with the wholesale price index.
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Which All Drugs Will Cost You More?
Essential medicines, including painkillers, antibiotics, anti-infectives, anti-diabetics, and cancer drugs, will experience a slight rise as per government's new move. The list of essential medicines which will see a hike in their price includes widely used drugs such as paracetamol, antibiotics like azithromycin for bacterial infections, anti-anemia medications, vitamins, and minerals, as well as certain steroids. However, the Pharma sector feels that this price hike is a modest one and this is being continued for the second consecutive year. Pharma companies say that the prices of raw materials, i.e. the components used to make medicines, have been increasing for some time, due to which the cost has also increased. Companies have been demanding a price hike for a long time.
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800 Medicines
This list includes the names of 800 such medicines. The government has approved an increase of up to 1.74% in the prices of medicines included in the list of essential medicines i.e. NLEM (National List of Essential Medicines). These include paracetamol, azithromycin, anti-allergy, anti-anemia, and vitamins and minerals medicines. These medicines are used for common diseases.