What is DPCO?Posted by vp on November 15th, 2018 DPCO stands for Drug Price Control Order which controls the rate of drugs in India. It was introduced in 1963 for the first time. It has been revised many times after it came in force. It comes under the "Essential Commodity Act, 1955" by declaring medicines/drugs to be an essential commodity. Revised year: Drug Price Control Order, 1966 In 2012, National Pharmaceutical Pricing Policy was introduced to control the drugs price. It is controlled by NPPA (National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority). If someone violates the policy, there are certain to law to fight against. Punishment for Violation: As per Sec. 7 of Essential Commodities Act, the penalty for contravention of DPCO is minimum imprisonment of 3 months, which may extend to seven years and the violator is also liable to a fine. If a manufacturer sells a medicine at a price higher than the price approved/ fixed for the product the manufacturer is liable for prosecution under Essential Commodities Act and also liable to deposit the amount with the Government accrued due to the charging of prices higher than those fixed or notified by the Government. Like it? Share it! More by this author |