Domestic medtech manufacturers welcome Maha FDA's call for price review

AIMED backing comes after Maharashtra FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe flagged mark-ups of up to 2,841% on medical devices and hospital consumables

Domestic medical device manufacturers have backed Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe’s call for a review of pricing practices for medical devices, saying the existing regulatory framework is inadequate to address steep mark-ups on essential hospital consumables.

The backing comes after Mundhe wrote to the Department of Pharmaceuticals and the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), seeking a review following a Maharashtra government survey that found large gaps between procurement prices and maximum retail prices (MRPs) of several medical devices used in hospitals, according to reports.

The survey found mark-ups of as much as 2,841 per cent in some cases. It said private hospitals procured intravenous (IV) infusion sets at ₹11.05 apiece but billed them at ₹325, while catheters procured at ₹29.41 had an MRP of ₹310.

The survey also covered products including syringes, nebulisers and oxygen masks.

The Association of Indian Medical Device Industry (AIMED) on Tuesday said the survey findings reinforced its long-standing concerns over the pricing framework for medical devices.