NEW DELHI: All life saving drugs from January 2015 will come with a bold red strip on their packs highlighting price as fixed by the government and also specify if they are under price control. Signaling a New Year gift for consumers, the government is set to make it mandatory for regulated drugs to print on their packs ‘ DPCO Scheduled Drug ’ in black ink on a bold red strip along with their ceiling price per unit, an official source said.

The move will enable consumers, who are presently highly dependent on doctors and chemists, to make an informed choice while purchasing medicines. In case of overcharging, consumers can directly call National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority ’s (NPPA) helpline number 1800111255 or voice helpline 1800114424 to lodge a complaint.

“The proposal has been discussed with the ministry of consumer affairs, food and public distribution and health ministry. There is overall consensus that there is a need to protect consumer interest in the use of medicines,” the official said. The NPPA, which regulates and monitors prices of medicines, is anchoring the move.

This is the second such populist move related to medicines proposed in the past one week. The government also proposed to bring at least 100 more drugs under price control by making corrections in the existing Drug Price Control Order , 2013.

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Currently, price monitoring of medicines is one of the biggest challenges facing the drug regulator. “With over 600 scheduled formulations, which translate into more than 6,000 packs of different brands sold across the country, including in rural areas and distant villages, it is very challenging to ensure oversight on price compliance,” the official said, adding consumer awareness regarding regulated products and their ceiling prices was a must to ensure there was no overcharging.

Presently, there are several overcharging cases pending with the regulator. The latest data by NPPA shows almost Rs 4,000 crore pending against several drug makers for overcharging consumers on different medicines.

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However, the regulator feels this is just a fraction and in reality the amount is likely to be much higher. At present, the NPPA randomly picks up samples from the market to detect cases of overcharging. A mandatory tagging of the ceiling price on packs will allow monitoring of prices through consumers in every nook and corner of the country, the official said.

The plan, which is in its last stage seeking comments from stakeholders including pharmaceutical companies, consumer organizations and state drug authorities, is expected to be notified by December-end. The NPPA has asked all stakeholders to submit their comments by November 30.