The Supreme Court questioned the actions of the Central Government regarding pharmaceutical companies that set drug prices exceeding the cost by more than 1000%. The court noted that the industry should not have the ability to 'act unchecked' under the pretext of a free market.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court ruled that it should not be allowed for the pharmaceutical industry to 'act unchecked' in the name of a free market to set the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) of medicines at an exponentially high level, which in some cases reaches more than 1000% of the price at which they are sold to retailers.
The court emphasized that people live under the illusion that they will one day benefit from the order on drug price control (DPCO), but according to the court, this policy only benefits corporations. Furthermore, the court considered the situation from the perspective of poor patients.
Following this, Bhatti presented an argument that drug prices in India are among the lowest in the world due to the free market, and the government cannot control the entire pharmaceutical market. However, the court's collegial bench responded to her that she is either unaware of the problem or uninterested in solving it.