The genesis: The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) was set up to implement the 1995 Drug Price Control Order (DPCO) and monitor overcharging of drugs and medical devices
When: August 29, 1997
Total number of chairmen: 11
What the chairman has to deliver:
* Implement and enforce the provisions of the DPCO
* Render advice to the central government on drug pricing
Highlights of the chairmen’s tenures
* Between 2001 and 2004, five chairmen were appointed to the NPPA
* Between 2000 and 2008, cases of overcharging were not made public by the NPPA. Complaints by NGOs/other bodies were not disclosed or made public either. The first list of pending cases came out in July 2008, disclosing instances since 2000
* Vinay Bansal, NPPA chairman from 2004 and the longest-serving chairman, openly debated price control and favoured revoking them
* The exit of the last three chairmen – CP Singh, Injeti Srinivas, and Bhupendra Singh – followed soon after they took some steps that were perceived to be tough for the industry.
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