Gujarat Govt Offer For Stents With US FDA Nod: Twice The Price

IN AN ORDER BEING viewed as favouring American businesses, the Gujarat government has introduced a differential pricing system for stents to be used under the flagship Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme — those approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) will be priced ₹25,000 per stent, and those cleared by the Indian drug regulator costing less than half or ₹12,000 per stent.

- KAUNAIN SHERIFF M

Currently, all drug-eluting stents (DES), used to treat blocked heart arteries, are priced at ₹35,000. Indian medical manufacturers have now raised concerns over the new pricing policy, calling it "discriminatory" and urging the government to "ensure fair competition" in the market. Stent implants under the Ayushman Bharat scheme in Gujarat accounted for an expenditure of ₹429 crore since the scheme's rollout in 2018.