Paracetamol, Azithromyci prices to increase by 10.7% from April

New Delhi: Consumers will have to pay more for some essential medicines, as the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) of India announced a 10.7 percent increase in the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) of the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) for the calendar year 2021 over the corresponding period in 2020 on Friday.

"According to the WPI data provided by the office of the Economic Advisor, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the annual change in WPI works out to 10.76607 percent during the calendar year 2021 over the corresponding period in 2020," the NPPA stated in a notice issued on Friday.

This means that the prices of nearly 800 scheduled medicines on the NLEM, which are used to treat fever, infections, skin diseases, high blood pressure, anaemia, and heart disease, will rise by 10.7 percent starting April 1.

"This is brought to the attention of all concerned for further action in accordance with the provisions of the Drugs (Price Control) Order, 2013," the notice continued.

The NLEM contains life-saving medications such as paracetamol, azithromycin, phenobarbitone, ciprofloxacin hydrochloride, phenytoin sodium, and metronidazole.