India is proud of its significant development of the pharmaceutical industry. Although raw materials for many medicines are not readily available in India, and a significant portion of these are imported from China, we have recently significantly developed the pharmaceutical industry in India. Medicines manufactured in our country are now being exported abroad in significant quantities.
Baddi in Himachal Pradesh is a major pharmaceutical manufacturing hub. Indian-made medicines averted the third and fourth waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country and neighboring countries. This is commendable, but it is a flawed fact that some new medicines manufactured in Baddi and other locations did not meet international standards, and many consignments were returned as uncertified. Recently, the Supreme Court took cognizance of another scam in the pharmaceutical industry.
Cancer has spread rapidly in some areas of India. Treatment is certainly expensive. The Supreme Court expressed shock at the high prices of cancer drugs. Calling it a daylight robbery by drug dealers, it said this practice must be stopped immediately. The court stated that the maximum retail price of a cancer drug is 27,000 rupees, while it found that it is supplied to retailers for 2,700 rupees. Such a huge difference? This is barbarism, this is genocide. The court said that if this is not extortion, then what is it? Poor people even sell their homes and jewelry to pay for this expensive treatment. Patients are being blatantly deceived and robbed in broad daylight.
The Supreme Court raised the issue of cancer and other major diseases and scheduled the next hearing for September 29th. Additional Solicitor General K.M. Natarajan, representing the government, stated that the government does not view this as a prejudicial lawsuit, but rather as a warning. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta asked, “If that is the case, why are your authorities, which are supposed to take action, silent?” This debate occurred while pharmaceutical issues were being raised in the Supreme Court. It is astonishing how high the margins at which these medicines are sold. It is certainly time to control the prices of these medicines. Simply promoting cheaper generic medicines will not solve the problem.