The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) on Monday revised prices of three bulk drugs -- carbamezapine used in the treatment of epilepsy and antibiotic oxytetracycline.

The revised price of oxytetracycline HCL has been set at Rs 1,100 per kg while oxytetracycline amphoteric would carry a price tag of Rs 1,560 per kg, an official release said. There has been a 56.47 per cent increase in the price of oxytetracycline amphoteric.

The price of carbamezapine has been fixed at Rs 3,800 per kg, an increase of Rs 400 as compared with the old prices.

Oxytetracycline HCL goes into Pfizer's Terramycin brand, though the exact impact on the product'spricing could not be got. Terramycin, which is ranked 98th as per ORG data, has a market share of 28.4 per cent in its segment and accounts for sales of around Rs 13 crore.

Analysts say that the latest price hike is expected to cushion Pfizer against the drop in prices of multivitamin brand, Becosules, though it is unlikely to bridge the gap completely.

In the case of carbamezapine-based formulations, the key brands to be impacted include Novartis' Tegretol, Sarabhai Piramal's Mazetol, Sun Pharma's Zeptol and Carmaz (acquired from Natco Pharmaceuticals) and Torrent Pharma's Carbatol. Tegretol is a Rs 22 crore brand while Mazetol's retail sales are in the region of Rs 12 crore. Both Sun Pharma brands together account for sales of Rs 7 crore.

The price revision has been carried out by conducting fresh cost-price studies based on the data of the major manufacturers in each case. The revised prices would be effective within 15 days from the date of notification in the official gazette, the release said.