Amid row, Keralam’s UDF govt says cost of generic SMA drug can be cut further

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The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government in Keralam on Monday strongly defended the switch to a generic drug for patients with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and said it would try to further reduce the price of the drug.

Speaking in the State Legislative Assembly, Health Minister K. Muraleedharan announced that the UDF government’s aim, eventually, was to offer medicines free of cost to all SMA patients. The matter will be discussed with Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan and an announcement will be made in due course, Mr. Muraleedharan said.

The Health Minister was responding to an adjournment motion moved by the CPI(M)-led Opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF) with regard to the controversy over the generic SMA drug and the unconnected development where the government had formed a 16-member task force with the aim of establishing a ‘Kerala Holistic Model for Health, Wellness and Longevity.’

While the Opposition accused the government of launching ‘clinical trials’ on SMA patients and pushing a corporatisation agenda in the health sector through the task force, Chief Minister Mr. Satheesan said both decisions were taken in the best interests of the people.

The Assembly witnessed a sharp confrontation between the ruling and Opposition fronts over the two issues, leading to a walkout by the latter after the adjournment motion was rejected.

With regard to the generic SMA drug, Mr. Satheesan said the government decision gave patients access to a generic drug that cost just ₹15,000 when the branded version cost ₹6.5 lakh for 12 days.

The generic alternative, marketed by Natco Pharma, had the support of court orders and statutory clearances from government agencies concerned, he said. “It has brought immense relief to the families of the patients. Our belief is that the price can be reduced further, to ₹9,000,” Mr. Satheesan said. He also congratulated Mr. Muraleedharan and the Health Department for taking the decision.

However, Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan said the government was “misleading everyone” by depicting the LDF as being opposed to generic drugs and that it favoured the costly Risdiplam, marketed by Roche Pharmaceuticals. Mr. Vijayan said the LDF has always encouraged generic medicines. “But here, the issue pertained to clinical trials of the SMA drug,” he said.

The LDF also targeted the composition of the task force; specifically the inclusion of Deepak Singhal, a former Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary.

Mr. Vijayan said that Mr. Singhal’s links to Global Trade and Technology Council (India) (GTTCI Healthcare Ventures) was “a matter of concern.” Corporates viewed the health sector as a milch cow and his presence on the task force illustrated the UDF’s “corporatisation agenda” for the sector, he said.

The Chief Minister, however, swept aside the charge, stating that the 16-member task force was composed of "knowledge partners.” Its aim was to devise strategies to reduce healthcare costs and ensure early detection of diseases and their prevention. This was important at a time when investment giants such as Blackstone have entered the State’s health sector and medical bills in private hospitals were soaring, making such institutions inaccessible to the general public, he said.

Earlier, K. Premkumar of the CPI(M), K. Rajan of the CPI, and P.K. Praveen of the RJD had moved the adjournment motion. They sought a discussion in the House on the perils faced by the State’s health sector arising from the government decisions to include representatives of “private hospitals, laboratories and pharma companies” in the task force and the concerns over clinical trials related to the SMA drug.