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New Delhi: Making a U-turn on the recently announced price caps for cardiac stents in the state, which faced strong objections from domestic manufacturers, the Gujarat government has decided to revoke its decision and reinstate the previous prices that were in effect.
Earlier, a health insurance company was informed by the State Commissionerate of Health and Medical Services that, “At the 8th Executive Committee Meeting held on February 13, 2025, the decisions were made to regulate the pricing of Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty (PTCA) – Drug-Eluting Stents (DES).”
Under the new rules (now scrapped), the stents approved by the USFDA were capped at ₹25,000, while those approved by domestic regulators were capped at ₹12,000.
The move faced strong opposition from domestic manufacturers, and criticizing the decision, an industry body, the Association of Indian Medical Device Industry (AiMeD), called the pricing mechanism “deeply discriminatory and a mockery of the ‘Make in India’ initiative.”
The body also stated, “The move is seen as helping American MNCs capture back their lost market share at a more favorable and profitable reimbursement, while domestic manufacturers are being systematically forced out of the market in their own country. It also undermines India’s medical regulatory system.”
Following this outcry from the industry, AiMeD stated that the state government has given the “assurance of repealing the differential pricing order for cardiac stents.”
Speaking to ET HealthWorld, Dr. Ravi Rathod, Jt. Coordinator (Govt. Affairs), AiMeD, said, “yesterday (April 3), during a press conference, Gujarat state health minister Rushikesh Ganeshbhai Patel informed the media that the government has decided to revoke the price cap rules that came into effect last month.”
“Secondly, a communication from the government has been sent to various service providers, informing them that the recently announced price caps have been revoked, and the previous pricing will remain in effect until further orders,” Dr. Rathod added.
Dr. Rathod also shared that, “To formulate a new pricing model, the state government will form a committee to engage with various manufacturers, doctors, and other stakeholders.”
“The final price may come down, but the interests of MSE manufacturers will not be sidelined, and there will be a uniform pricing model,” he added.
Rejecting the option of having different price caps for devices based on clinical data, as in neighboring states like Rajasthan, Dr.Rathod said, “There is no clinical data in the world that can prove that one device is better than another.”
Meanwhile, in a separate note, Gaurav Aggarwal, another office bearer of AiMeD, flagged that, “Indian stents are clinically validated and used in more than 100 countries, including those with stringent regulations.”
“A false narrative on the quality and doubts on the efficacy of Indian stents, without backing from clinical studies by some doctors lobbying on behalf of these US MNCs via a lucrative kickback incentive system, needs to be investigated,” Aggarwal added.
Currently, in the state, price capping for stents is in effect for those medical bills which are reimbursed under the state’s public health insurance scheme Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana – Mukhyamantri Amrutum Yojana (AB-PMJAY-MA).
The scheme offers a coverage of ₹10 lakh per family per annum to the defined families. Of this sum, ₹5 lakh is covered through the central government health insurance scheme, while the rest is borne through the state’s exchequer.>
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