Sangwan pleaded that coronary stents, a spring-like metal used to prop open blocked arteries, be included in the National List of Essential Medicines (NELM). And, last week, India’s drug-pricing watchdog capped the cost of stents at Rs 30,000, a cut of about 85%. “In 2014, a friend’s brother had a heart attack and was charged Rs 126,000 for a stent in a private hospital in Faridabad. These questions disturbed me.”Sangwan said, initially, the government did not respond to an order by the high court to bring stents under NELM and cap prices. “Another petition was filed in December 2016 to ensure the government capped selling price of stents,” he said.

Source: Hindustan Times February 20, 2017 07:36 UTC