Weak formulation

After two unsuccessful attempts in 2002 and 2006, the Government has come out with a new draft National Pharmaceutical Policy that it hopes will balance the twin concerns of making medicines affordable for consumers without hurting the industry's ability to continue manufacturing drugs. But walking the tightrope is not easy, more so in the light of conflicting pressures and lobbying that have ensured continuation of a policy formulated in 1994. With access on its mind, the Government's new draft has sought to bring all 348 drugs covered in the revised National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) under price control, as against the existing 74.

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