The All India Drug Action Network (AIDAN) issued a statement on Wednesday condemning the ‘pressure tactics’ of US-based medical device industry to undermine the Indian government’s efforts to make health products more affordable and accessible.
“The move by US multinational firms, through Advanced Medical Technology Association, to approach the US Trade Representative with a demand to partially or fully suspend or withdraw India’s benefits under the generalised system of preferences is highly reprehensible,” noted the release.
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‘Barefaced attempt’
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The groups said that this was “a barefaced attempt to intimidate the Indian government and retaliate against its decision to fix retail prices of cardiovascular stents and knee implants” and “exposes the unabashed greed of the industry and its willingness to hold poor peoples’ health at ransom for the sake of maximising profits”.
Companies manufacturing medical devices have said that the control on stent price has resulted in major losses and will limit their ability to bring advanced stents to India.
AIDAN, however, stated that the government’s capping of prices “has not had any impact on the margins of the companies, which remain highly profitable. Action was only taken to curtail the illegitimately high trade margins, particularly those being provided to hospitals”.
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The group is demanding that the Centre uphold the Constitutional obligation on right to health and reject any pressure to review price controls on medical devices.
‘Expand price control’
“We ask that price controls be expanded to cover 19 additional categories of medical devices classified as drugs under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, and the Drugs and Cosmetics Rule. We also call on the US government to refrain from exerting policy pressure on India for taking measures to make medicines and medical devices more affordable and accessible to patients that need them,” the release stated.