12 percent increase in prices of essential medicines due to change in Wholesale Price Index (WPI) from April 1 IG News

The common man will have to bear the brunt of inflation once again. From next April 1, the prices of medicines taken for common to serious diseases will increase. The price of essential medicines is set to increase by 12 percent due to the change in the Wholesale Price Index (WPI). As a result, the prices of life-saving medicines like anti-infections, painkillers and cardiac medicines are also going to increase.

The price of about 800 medicines will be affected

According to a report in the Economic Times, the price hike will affect the retail prices of around 800 drugs on the National List of Essential Medicines. Increase in drug prices will affect people’s budget. Because of this, almost all essential medicines including ORS and disinfectant medicines are included for Covid management.

Which drugs will be more expensive?

Halothane

Isoflurane

Ketamine

Nitrous oxide

Diclofenac

Ibuprofen

Mefenamic acid

Paracetamol

Morphine

Amoxicillin

Ampicillin

Benzylpenicillin

Cefadroxil

Cefazolin

Ceftriaxone

Covid Management Medicines

TB medicine: amikacin, bedaquiline, clarithromycin etc

Antifungal : Clotrimazole, Fluconazole, Mupirocin, Nystatin, Terbinafine etc.

Antiviral drugs: Acyclovir, Valganiclovir etc.

HIV drugs: abacavir, lamivudine, zidovudine, efavirenz, nevirapine, raltegravir, dolutegravir, ritonavir etc.

Gastric medicines: ORS, lactulose, bisacodyl etc

Hormones, other endocrine medicines and contraceptives

Vaccines: Hepatitis B, DPT vaccine, Japanese encephalitis vaccine, measles vaccine, rabies vaccine, etc.

Ophthalmological drugs, oxytocics and antioxytocics

Medications to treat mental disorders

Respiratory disorders Medicines, vitamins

Malaria drugs: Artesunate, Artemether, Chloroquine, Clindamycin, Quinine, Primaquine etc.

Drugs for cancer treatment: 5-Fluorouracil, Actinomycin D, All-trans reanoic acid, Arsenic trioxide, Calcium folinate etc.

Anemia medicines: folic acid, iron sucrose, hydroxycobalamin etc.

Cardiovascular drugs Dilitazem, Metoprolol, Digoxin, Verapramil, Amlodipine, Ramipril, Telmisartan etc.

Dermatological drugs

Budesonide

Ciprofloxacin

Clotrimazole

Antiseptics/Disinfectants Chlorhexidine, Ethyl Alcohol, Hydrogen Peroxide, Povidine Iodine, Potassium Permanganate

Also Read: People Taking Indiscriminate Antibiotics Beware, Avoid Many Serious Problems, Don’t Endanger Your Life

Government’s crackdown on pharmaceutical companies

It may be mentioned here that the Central Government recently took strict action against the drug manufacturers through the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI). The government canceled the licenses of 18 pharmaceutical companies for manufacturing counterfeit drugs after investigating 76 companies in 20 states. Apart from this, show cause notices were issued to 26 other companies.

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Tags: Health care, Medicines, Price Hike