Sanitary napkins, diapers likely to be included in essential drugs list

The Centre has initiated the process to finalise a list of commonly used hygiene products, which will be put in the National list of Essential Medicines (NLEM). The list will include products like sanitary napkins, adult diapers, floor disinfectants and soaps among others.

According to a report in the Economic Times, in 2019, the government decided to widen NLEM's basket by including health and hygiene products. However, owing to Coronavirus pandemic, nothing was finalised. As the number of daily Covid infections decline, the government has now asked a committee of experts to continue with the meetings to shortlist the products, in order to bring them under NLEM basket.

Bringing these products under NLEM would imply that they would be available in adequate numbers within the health system. The committee will also decide if the prices of these products need to be regulated.

Sub-committees were formed earlier to categorise medicines, medical devices, disposables, and other health and hygiene products according to how essential they are for healthcare.

The sub-committee will also identify hygiene products and consumables and will send the list to another committee.  

According to the report, a committee member said, products like sanitary napkins and adult diapers have to be on this list and the experts will also deliberate on different aspects of hygiene products that should be readily available. 

Those medicines and devices listed in NLEM must be sold at a price fixed by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), whereas, those in the non-scheduled list are allowed a annual hike of maxium 10 per cent. 

In the latest edition of the NLEM, in September last year, the government also included a few anti-diabetes drugs and patented antivirals, used in the treatment of tuberculosis, HIV and hepatitis C. Popular anti-diabetes drug teneligliptin, insulin glargine injection, and common antibiotics like meropenem and cefuroxime have been included in NLEM, 2022, which resulted in lowering of their prices.

For medicines included in the NLEM, manufacturers are required to sell their products at equal to or lower than the ceiling price. 

The calculation of the price is based on a simple averaging of the market prices of different brands of medicines having a market share of at least one per cent, suggests report.