NPPA capped the prices of Bare Metal Stent at Rs.7,260 and Drug Eluting Stent (DES) along with Biodegradable Stents at Rs.29,600. Both the prices are exclusive of VAT.
OdishaLIVE Bureau, 13th February 2017: In a major relief to millions of 
heart patients, the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NAPA) has notified and fixed the ceiling price of Drug Eluting Stents (DES) and Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffold (BVS)/Biodegradable Stents at Rs. 29,600 and the Bare Metal Stents at Rs. 7,260 exclusive of VAT from 14 February 2017. DES constitutes 95 percent of the market. The maximum retail cost of a stent currently ranges from Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 2 lakh.
A coronary stent is a tube-shaped device placed in the arteries that supply blood to the heart. It keeps the arteries open in the treatment of coronary heart diseases. The notification comes as a huge relief to lakhs of patients who have to undergo coronary angioplasty in coming days. In 2016, estimation revealed that over 6 lakh stents were used in angioplasties across the country.
About 60% of the market for stents is shared by multinational companies such as Abbott, Medtronics, Meril Lifesciences and Boston Scientific. It is found that till date a huge unethical mark-up is charged at each stage in the supply chain of coronary stents resulting in unreasonable, restrictive and unnecessary excessive prices. A data again shows that the trade margin of distributors for sale of stents to hospital is in the range of 13 to 196 percent, while the margin of hospital to patient is as high as 11 percent to 650 percent. So, government’s intervention had become necessary to check this immoral profiteering and exploitive pricing, and also to ensure fair, reasonable and affordable price for coronary stents.
As per the NAPA notification, from today, the hospitals will have to bill separately 
mentioning the cost of the coronary stent along with its brand name, name of the manufacturer and other details. All hospitals will also have to follow Para 24 (4) of the Drug Price Control Order (DPCO) 2013, which states ‘every retailer and dealer shall display the price list and the supplementary price list, if any, as furnished by the manufacturer, on a conspicuous part of the premises where he carries on business in a manner so as to be easily accessible to any person wishing to consult the same’.
The Government of India had included coronary stents in the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM), 2015 in July 2016 and in the first Schedule of the Drug Prices Control Order (DPCO), 2013 in December 2016.