BP, Cardiac Drug In Short Supply
If you have been prescribed drug made from the formulation, alphadopa, commonly used for the treatment of high blood pressure during pregnancy or for preventing cardiac arrest, you may not find it in the market.
The drug is in short supply, announces drug availability regulator, National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority. It has issued a notice to inform general public to lodge a complaint if they find it non-available in the domestic market. The drug calms blood vessels, lowering blood pressure and is considered as best drug to be taken for high blood pressure during the first trimester of pregnancy.
However, drug makers blame price controls over the short supply of the drug. Sample this: Mankind Pharma, stopped manufacturing the drug as soon as price controls were announced. “The costing and selling price of the drug is not sustainable. The costing is Rs 2.20 per tablet and approved selling price is Rs 2.50. The government expects us to pay taxes from our pocket,” R.C Juneja, chief executive officer of Mankind Pharma told BW Businessworld.
Medicine is not available on e-pharmacies as well. Top selling brand made by Wockhardt and Dahlia Pharmaceuticals is unavailable. “We checked at multiple locations with vendor partners across major cities. The medicine seems not available in the market…,” said Prashant Tandon, co-founder of 1Mg, an e-pharmacy.
“Based on analysis of market data of medicine alphadopa 250 mg and 500 mg tablets (methyldopa) of February 2017, it has come to the notice of NPPA that the medicine is in short supply in the domestic market,” said the notice issued by the authority.
It also said that whosoever finds it non-available in the market, must lodge a complaint with NPPA. “Based on the feedback received from the public at large, we will initiate a necessary action on a priority basis to ensure the availability of above said medicine at places where the shortage will be reported,” the order further said.
