Karnataka PMRU Starts Weekly Drug Surveillance For Covid As Virus Surfaces In Variants

In order to ensure easy access to medicines at the right time, the Karnataka Price Monitoring Resource Unit (KPMRU) has been monitoring drug availability as the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) has emerged in various variants. It conducts a market survey of Covid-19 management formulations once a week through KPMRU. These include nine scheduled drugs, seven non-scheduled medicines, and six medical devices.

Enoxaparin injection, dexamethasone, paracetamol, doxycycline, methyl prednisolone, azithromycin, hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), an antimalarial proposed as a possible treatment for coronavirus Covid-19, amphotericin B, and budesonide are among the nine scheduled formulations. Dexamethasone of higher strength, invermectin, naproxen, dalteparin injection, favipiravir, oseltamivir, and methyl prednisolone are the seven non-scheduled formulations. Pulse oximeter, nebuliser, digital thermometer, glucometer, blood pressure monitor, and vaporisers/steam inhalers are the six medical devices.

This survey ensures drug availability in two ways. The first is for pharmacy outlets located within one kilometre of Covid-19 hospital. The other option is to visit pharmacy outlets located two kilometres away from Covid-19 care medical centres, according to Dr. Amaresh Tumbagi, Karnataka state additional drugs controller. Furthermore, it has been discovered that dalteparin injection, amphotericin B injection, and methyl prednisolone injection are primarily available at hospital-affiliated pharmacies. These can also be found in wholesale stores. Furthermore, Covid-19 management medications such as invermectin and favipiravir have not been seen in the market.

However, the goal of the KPMRU survey is to ensure that every critical drug for corona virus disease is abundantly available in the market for patients to easily access if the medical practitioner prescribes, he added. The KPMRU has an important goal of monitoring the prices of these Covid drugs and ensuring compliance with the DPCO 2013. In fact, KPMRU has discovered a suspected ceiling price for four drugs, the details of which cannot be disclosed because the matter is being investigated, according to Dr Tumbagi.

Another role of KPMRU has been to assist in the proper recovery process of pharma companies' excess pricing. It has also served notices issued by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NNPA) on the relevant pharmaceutical companies to this end. According to him, the KPMRU enforcement team has followed up on the actions taken in the cases. Since the formation of the KPMRU in August 2020, it has received Rs. 33.80 lakh September 2, 2020 from the NPPA for conducting these tasks. In order to monitor pricing, it has taken the assistance of three deputy drug controllers, said Dr Tumbagi.