New Delhi, India: Consumers will have to pay more for some essential medicines, as India’s National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) announced a price increase of 10.7% in the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) of the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) for the calendar year 2021, compared to the same period in 2020.

“Based on WPI statistics provided by the office of the Economic Advisor, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the yearly change in WPI for the calendar year 2021 over the equivalent time in 2020 comes out to 10.76607 percent,” the NPPA said in a notice issued on Friday.

This indicates that the rates of over 800 drugs on the NLEM that are used to treat fever, infections, skin problems, and high blood pressure have increased, anaemia and heart diseases will rise by 10.7 percent beginning April 1.

“This is brought to the attention of those concerned for future action in accordance with the requirements of the Drugs (Price Control) Order, 2013,” according to the notice.