Out of the 16 formulations, the authority increased prices of three drugs in the range between 13.90 per cent to 15.80 per cent and revised prices downwards up to 46.98 per cent, an official release said here today.

The prices have been revised in accordance with the provisions of drugs price control order (DPCO), 1995 and as per the established criteria and guidelines. NPPA has also fixed ceiling prices of some vitamin tablets and capsules as per the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and with the provision of a price adjustment formula.

With the ceiling price fixation, prices of vitamins such as Beccosole-Z Capsule (cap), Sprovit, Zin Forte, Becozine cap, NVM Tablet (tab), Vitazinc cap, Zicomplex cap and pro-Z will come down, the release said.

Prices of Tetracycline HCI coated tab, manufactured by Hoechst MarionRoussel Ltd, has been revised down wards by 45 per cent to Rs 5.78 (a strip of ten) from Rs 10.52. Prices of capsules of vitamin B complex has been lowered by 42.28 per cent from Rs 15.80 to 9,12. However, the authority increased prices of Ventrolin syrup produced by Kemwell Pvt Ltd by 13.9 per cent to Rs 8.44 from Rs 7.41.

EEB ADDS: NPPA has, in a sweeping order, imposed a ceiling price on a wide range of vitamin B complex formulations in the Indian market. The latest order, besides eating into the margins of a host of drug firms, is also expected to be detrimental for the retail trade in general.

NPPA's price order, issued on Thursday, has effectively segmented this multi-vitamin market (of that specified composition) into capsules and coated tablets, for the purpose of price fixation. However, what took industry by surprise was the foot note, which extends the applicability of the order to almost all major vitamin B complex manufacturers in the country.

The note broadly seeks to cover variouspermutations and combinations (in terms of strength) of multivitamins in that specified category.