Drug-Eluting Stent Use Among Low-Income Patients in Maharashtra After Statewide Price Reductions

Abstract

Price caps for drug-eluting stents (DES), a common and costly treatment for coronary artery disease, were instituted in early 2017 across India to increase accessibility of these devices.1 By placing these devices on the National List of Essential Medicines, costs of DES abruptly decreased from over Rs 100 000 to Rs 29 600 (≈US $1500 to $444, reduction of ≈70%). Critics worry, however, that price caps may lead manufacturers to withdraw ultimately from Indian markets and paradoxically decrease DES use—particularly for DES that are manufactured abroad.2 To date, little empirical data exist to inform this debate despite plans to revisit the national price cap decision in 2019.