Palampur, Oct. 31 -- Former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister and former union Minister Shanta Kumar, on Saturday, said patients in India were being exploited through exorbitant prices of branded medicines, and stressed that the use of generic medicines could significantly reduce healthcare costs.
He said a medicine costing Rs 270 was sometimes sold for as much as Rs 27,000 under the MRP system. The issue had even reached the Supreme Court, following which the Central government had taken some important decisions.
Recalling his tenure as a Rajya Sabha member, Shanta Kumar said he had chaired the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Commerce, which deliberated on the issue of medicine prices for nearly a year.
The committee had made two majo...