The Supreme Court questioned the government over the high cost of medicines and the gap between MRP and retailer prices. Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta said, “The government is allowing this to happen.” The court also called the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority a totally defunct body during the hearing.
Hearing two petitions that raised concerns over medicine pricing, a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta questioned why the system appeared to favour pharmaceutical manufacturers and asked whether such practices should be allowed to continue unchecked, according to PTI.
“The government is allowing this to happen. It is under the government's own eyes that it is happening,” the bench told Centre.
The bench also described the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), the body responsible for regulating drug prices, as appearing to be a “totally defunct” organisation.