Maharashtra FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe Writes To NPPA, Flags 2,841% Margin On IV Set, Seeks Action To Rationalise Medical Device Prices

Mumbai, September 16, 2026 - A recent market survey conducted by the Maharashtra FDA, through its State Price Monitoring Resource Unit, has revealed significant discrepancies between the procurement costs and the maximum retail prices (MRPs) of essential medical consumables. The survey, which examined four categories of inpatient treatment devices - IV sets, syringes and needles, nebulisers and oxygen masks, and miscellaneous consumables - uncovered price margins as high as 2,841.17 per cent in one instance.

The most egregious example was an IV infusion set, which was purchased for Rs 11.05 but had an MRP of Rs 325, resulting in a reported price margin of 2,841.17 per cent. Similar extreme price differentials were observed with Lyvofusion and Polymed IV sets, costing Rs 11.50 and Rs 10.50 respectively, yet carrying MRPs of Rs 252 and Rs 187, with margins of 2,091 per cent and 1,680.95 per cent.

The survey also identified similarly inflated price margins in other items, such as a 10-ml syringe (Rs 6.75 vs Rs 57.20, margin 747.4 per cent), a Nebplus nebuliser (Rs 40 vs Rs 715, margin 1,687.5 per cent), and even a catheter (Rs 29.41 vs Rs 310, margin 955 per cent), and a disposable mask (Rs 197.50 vs Rs 500, margin 153.16 per cent).

The Maharashtra FDA's Commissioner, Tukaram Mundhe, has taken notice of these findings and has written to the Department of Pharmaceuticals and the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) to seek regulatory intervention. Mundhe highlighted that the large price gaps between trade procurement costs and MRPs could significantly increase patients' out-of-pocket expenses, particularly for consumables that are routinely required during hospitalization, where patients have limited bargaining power.

The FDA emphasized that while scheduled medicines fall under price controls under the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013, many medical devices lack comparable regulatory price caps. Mundhe has requested an inter-agency review by the Department of Pharmaceuticals, NPPA, and other relevant authorities to address this pricing policy gap.

He has proposed measures such as rationalizing or capping trade margins, establishing guidelines on permissible price differentials, and enhancing price monitoring for essential medical devices. The FDA has submitted the detailed survey findings as evidence-based policy input, advocating for the inclusion of the surveyed inpatient medical devices under the DPCO framework and the fixation of rationalized Maximum Retail Prices.