PRICES OF LIFE-SAVING DRUGS INCREASED BY THE MODI GOVERNMENT

“Bimaron ke acchhe din aa gaye hain?”

 

Daya Varma

 

The outgoing United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government had initiated a “Right to Health” scheme and kept the price of drugs at controlled prices. Despite this scheme the prices were still high given the resources of the Indian population.

 

The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) government that came to powr this June of 2014 allowed the prices to jump to astonishing high levels. Below is the description of the increase in prices of some drugs.

 

The table supplied by Kumar contains brand names. A brief description of the nature of drugs is provided and minor errors in the table have been corrected in this article)

DRUG GROUP                                    CURRENT PRICE (Rs)            NEW PRICE (Rs)

1. ANTI-CANCER DRUGS

Geftinate                                    5,900                                                11,500

Nolvadex                                    45                                                200

(Both these drugs are anti-estrogen and used in the treatment of breast cancer)

Veenat                                                8,500                                                11,500

Gleevec                                    8500                                                108,000

(These anticancer drugs inhibit certain enzymes and are used to treat leukemia and some other cancers)

 

2. DRUGS FOR THE CONTROL OF BLOOD PRESSURE

Cardace (5 mg)                        92                                                128

Losar (50 mg)                                    67                                                94

(Angiotensin II is a body hormone which increases blood pressure; the above two drugs antagonize angiotensin II)

SelokenXL 50 mg                        78                                                164

(This is a beta blocker and inhibits the stimulant effect of adrenaline on the heart. Although many drugs can reduce blood pressure, it has been found that a combination is needed to reduce cardiovascular risk by certain drugs)

 

3. DRUGS TO PREVENT BLOOD CLOTTING

Plavix                                                 147                                                1,615

(Plavix is brand name for clorpidagrel and acts by a different mechanism than does aspirin)

 

4. CHOLESTEROL LOWERING DRUG

Storvas 10 mg                                    62                                                97

5. ANTI-ANXIETY RUGS

Alprax (Alprazolam)                        15                                                22

(The table by Kumar wrongly puts it as anti-cholesterol drug)

 

6. EYE-DROPS

Xalatan                                    450                                                1,187

Xalacon                                    515                                                1,348

(These drugs allow drainage from the eyeball during increased intraocular pressure and help delay or prevent blindness.)

 

7. ANTI-DIABETIC DRUGS

Injection Human Mixtard            140                                                1,187

(Type I diabetes can only be treated by insulin. Currently human insulin prepared by advanced genetic technology is preferred over insulin extracted from pork pancreas)

Tab Amaryl                                     15                                                22

(Amaryl is the brand name for glimepiride and used to treat Type 2 diabetes, which is more common and can occur at any age, most commonly in over-weight people over 40 years)

 

8. INJECTIONS

Albumin                                    3,800                                                5.500

Anti-D                                                2,200                                                3,500

Anti-Rabis                                    2,670                                                7,000

(A bite by a dog with rabies is fatal if not treated immediately with anti-rabies vaccine)

 

9. ANTI-TUBERCULOSIS DRUGS

AKT4                                                12,                                                13

AKT 3                                                8                                                9

R-Cinex                                    49                                                54

All three are mixtures of two or more anti-tuberculosis drugs. Treatment with a single antibiotic leads to development of resistance and therefore combinations are used. Treatment of tuberculosis requires use of drugs for a long period even if patient starts feeling better; otherwise relapse will occur.

 

COMMENTS

As it is giant pharmaceuticals set high prices for drugs and pressure governments against any interference. The BJP government led by Modi has complied with the demands of drug manufacturers. Tuberculosis is a disease of the poor and requires prolonged therapy.

(Based on data supplied by Manoj Kumar)

Top - Home