The consumer protection NGO Idec sent a letter to CMED, the inter-ministerial body responsible for regulating the drug market, to question the suspension, until December, of the price ceiling for some drugs facing shortages.
The pharmaceutical industry argues that the high production costs boosted prices to a level above the ceiling stipulated by the government, making it impossible to manufacture some lines.
For Idec, however, the justification that the measure could help solve the problem has reservations.
“Idec understands that the problem of shortages is not only related to regulation, being a combined issue of productive capacity, pricing policy and international policy. The institution believes that the solution is to strengthen local production, especially public laboratories, instead of remove price ceiling”, says the entity.
The NGO also asks the agency if any regulatory impact analysis or previous study was carried out to justify the removal of the ceiling.
“Deregulation opens a dangerous exception because it makes the rules on drug price control more flexible and removes from companies the political duty to justify the values practiced, in a context of lack of transparency”, he says.
CMED sets maximum drug prices and annually sets percentages of readjustments, based on inflation and industry productivity, among other factors.
Joana Cunha with Paulo Ricardo Martins and Gilmara Santos
I have over 8 years of experience in the news industry. I have worked for various news websites and have also written for a few news agencies. I mostly cover healthcare news, but I am also interested in other topics such as politics, business, and entertainment. In my free time, I enjoy writing fiction and spending time with my family and friends.
