Heartbreaking: Stents imported for Rs 25,000 sold to patients for Rs 1.55 lakh.
MUMBAI: Heart patients in the state, including in Mumbai, pay 700% more than the import cost for stents, revealed the first-ever cost survey by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The survey has also shown that the maximum retail price (MRP) itself is majorly exaggerated and depends on the whims and fancies of distributors or other middle agencies.
The FDA, during a six-month-long survey, tracked a multi-national company that imports stents from the West and sells it to Indian distributors. The investigation exposed unregulated profit-mongering at each step of the supply chain. The report said that company importing the stents itself made a profit of 120% before selling it to the distributors. more