The authority has already studied the relevant regulatory systems in at least eight major countries. It has also finalised a round-table meeting on April 11 in New Delhi to sensitise stakeholders on the need to have an international outlook to ensure that medicines become more affordable.
The move is significant in the backdrop of the newly-introduced product patent regime in India and an increasing concern among public interest groups that patent protection will lead to increase in prices of new medicines.
The NPPA, which was set up when Indian companies were free to make cheap versions of all patent-protected medicines through reverse engineering, will aim to learn from international experience in controlling prices of all kinds of medicines.
It is for the first time in its decade-long existence that the authority has planned an international seminar on the topic. The event is slated for April 12.
Explaining the efforts, Ashok Kumar, chairman, NPPA, said a team of officials had completed tours of the UK, France and Israel. "We have prepared country profiles of the US, Canada, South Africa and Egypt.
While the US model needs to be studied for lack of price regulation, Canada's Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMB) needs to be understood for its effectiveness. South Africa and Egypt have well-functioning medicine price control mechanisms."
The event, being organised with the help of UK's Department for International Development (DIFD), will touch upon areas like pricing policy for affordable medicines and comparative international experience of pharmaceutical pricing policy to understand the issues and options before a national drug price regulator.
The NPPA has invited state drug controllers, public health NGOs, officials from various ministries, international experts and representatives of industry and trade for these events.
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