If a chemist charged you more than the notified ceiling price for a scheduled medicine, you can complain to the NPPA and recover the overcharged amount with interest. The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) fixes the maximum price of essential medicines, and selling above that cap is illegal under the Drugs Prices Control Order 2013, called DPCO 2013.
If you are short on time, jump to the step list below and file your grievance on the Pharma Jan Samadhan portal tonight.
When Dr. Shrawan Kumar Pathak bought a heart medicine that sits on the National List of Essential Medicines, the strip showed a printed price well above the NPPA ceiling. He kept the bill and the pack, checked the notified price, and filed a single online complaint. That is the whole game: evidence plus the right portal.
This happens because many retailers and even some manufacturers either ignore a price revision or quietly print a higher maximum retail price (MRP) on the pack. The cap is set per formulation, so the law is on your side once you can show the notified price next to what you actually paid.
Follow these steps in order. You can finish most of them in one sitting.
NPPA does not cap the price of every medicine. It directly fixes prices only for scheduled formulations. For everything else, it monitors the rate of price increase.
| Type of medicine | Who decides the price | The limit |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled medicines (on the National List of Essential Medicines) | NPPA fixes the ceiling price under DPCO 2013 | No seller or maker may charge more than the notified ceiling price plus applicable GST |
| Non-scheduled medicines | The manufacturer sets the MRP | The maker may raise the MRP by no more than 10 percent in any 12 months, monitored by NPPA |
So before you complain, identify which bucket your medicine falls in. For a scheduled medicine, any rupee above the ceiling price plus GST is an overcharge. For a non-scheduled medicine, the issue is whether the annual increase crossed 10 percent.
The legal backbone is the DPCO 2013, issued under the Essential Commodities Act 1955. NPPA derives its price-fixing power from this order, which is why its directions to recover overcharged money carry statutory force. For the wider framework of citizen rights and statutes, see the RTI and statute reference.
You can claim back the difference between what you paid and the lawful price. Where NPPA confirms overcharging, the manufacturer or seller is liable to deposit the overcharged amount with interest as provided under the DPCO, recoverable under the DPCO 2013 read with the Essential Commodities Act 1955.
Recovery is ordered by NPPA, not paid out at the counter. So a clean paper trail matters more than a loud argument with the chemist. The same evidence discipline helps if your problem is a padded hospital bill rather than a pharmacy receipt. See the guide on auditing a hospital implant or device overcharge, and if an insurer is involved, the page on a rejected health insurance claim and IRDAI complaint.
For a full walkthrough of building evidence and escalating any citizen grievance, The RTI Playbook is a useful companion: The RTI Playbook.
Only scheduled formulations, those listed in the National List of Essential Medicines, carry an NPPA ceiling price under DPCO 2013. Check the medicine on the Pharma Sahi Daam tool or the NPPA website at https://nppa.gov.in . If it is scheduled, the notified ceiling price applies and no seller may charge above it plus applicable GST.
File online on Pharma Jan Samadhan, the NPPA grievance system, at https://nppaipdms.gov.in . Enter the medicine and seller details, the price charged, the notified ceiling price, and upload your bill and the pack showing the printed MRP. You receive a complaint number to track the outcome.
Two documents are essential. First, the purchase bill or invoice showing the price you were charged. Second, the medicine strip or pack showing the printed maximum retail price. Note the batch number too. Without the bill and the pack, NPPA cannot match the price charged against the ceiling price.
Yes. Where NPPA establishes overcharging, the manufacturer or seller is liable to deposit the overcharged amount with interest as provided under the DPCO, recoverable under the DPCO 2013 read with the Essential Commodities Act 1955. The recovery is directed by NPPA after it examines your complaint.
A maker of a non-scheduled medicine may raise its MRP by no more than 10 percent in any 12 months, and NPPA monitors this. If your medicine is non-scheduled and the price jumped more than 10 percent within a year, you can still report it to NPPA on Pharma Jan Samadhan for monitoring action.