The Department of Pharmaceuticals has notified the Drugs (Prices Control) Order 2013, under which prices of 348 medicines have been brought under price control.

A new drug price control policy, restrictions on multinationals taking over domestic firms and India cracking down on foreign firms' patents marked the year 2012 for the $22 billion pharmaceutical sector.

The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Policy 2012, which was cleared by the government in November, would bring 348 essential drugs under price control.