The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) announced that starting on April 1, the cost of critical medications will slightly increase. This will cover medications like pain relievers and antibiotics, among others.

According to the NPPA, the adjustment for medications included in the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) will be 0.0055 percent, in accordance with the yearly fluctuations in the wholesale pricing index (WPI).                                                                                                

The NPPA said that the yearly change in WPI for the calendar year 2023 over the equivalent period in 2022 is (+) 0.00551% based on the WPI statistics supplied by the office of the Economic Advisor, Department of Industry, and Internal Trade Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

Following 12% price increases for medications last year and 10% increases in 2022, these price increases are the result of rising costs.

The list contains over 800 medications, including steroids, vitamins, minerals, azithromycin, paracetamol, and several medications to treat COVID-19. The increased rates will apply to all of these medications.