MRP of nine types of lenses fixed

The country's drug administrator has recently fixed maximum retail prices (MRP) of more nine types of lenses used for eye treatment, officials said.
They also said the move will help stakeholders ensure transparency in the dealings of the medical device called Intra Ocular Lens (IOL), which is transplanted in patients' eye after cataract surgery.
With the new ones, total 61 types of such eye lens got registered with the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA in the last 18 months.
In May 2017, the drug administration fixed the MRP for the device. So far 15 medical device importers have been registered with the DGDA to deal in the artificial lens.
When contacted, a DGDA director Md Ruhul Amin said addition of the more lenses details to the existing list will help patients opt for the medical device without confusion.
"We have already notified all healthcare facilities related to eye treatment regarding the list," he said, adding that the DGDA would take stern actions as per law against the entities, which violate the directives in this regard.
According to the DGDA circular, all hospitals must publicly show the price list in its premises, so that service recipients come to know about it.
The sellers must provide the customers with detailed information about the lens including its name, model number and manufacturers in the cash memo.
The retail prices of the lens vary between Tk 143 to Tk 95,000 as per the DGDA circular made available earlier this month.
The newly approved devices include Ocuflex Clear Foldable, Eye-O-Care PMMA, Acriol EC Clear/Yellow Hydrophobic, Acriol Preloaded Hydrophobic, Acridiff Differactive Refractive, Appalens, Acryfold, and Supra Phob.
The lenses used in the country are mostly imported from the countries like the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and India.
Sources said the market of optical lens was extremely unstable before the DGDA moved to fix the price in the middle of last year, when many businesses used to charge three to four times higher prices for the lens than reasonable.
The MRP fixing will help the patients especially the insolvent ones afford their desired lens at reasonable price, said Mr Ruhul Amin.
"We have also been regularly monitoring the implementation of the directives," he said, adding that no violation has been reported so far.
"If anybody approaches us to file objection against additional charge or any other irregularities with medical devices dealings, we shall take stern actions as per law," he said.
The drug administration has so far fixed the MRP of heart stents, hear valves and IOL.

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