India has done a good job in controlling hypertension, benefiting from generic medicines: WHO

 

In its Global Report on Hypertension 2025, the World Health Organization cited India as an example for successful pricing of hypertension drugs.
WHO Report: The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday that free drug distribution, the use of generic medicines and price controls have led to better control of high blood pressure (the biggest risk factor for heart disease) in India. It praised the country's efforts to tackle high blood pressure. 

In its Global Report on Hypertension 2025, the World Health Organization cited India as an example for successful pricing of hypertension drugs.
"India's comprehensive approach to improving hypertension, including the National Free Drugs and Drug Administration initiative, promoting the use of generic medicines, and imposing price limits on essential antihypertensive drugs, has significantly improved public health and blood pressure control rates," the World Health Organization said.

Launched in 2018-2019, the government's India Hypertension Control Initiative (IHCI) ensured a reliable supply of free, quality-assured generic antihypertensive drugs to public sector clinics. It was also supported by simple, protocol-based treatment regimens and robust drug procurement systems.
Apart from this, the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) also fixed the price ceiling for essential medicines including anti-hypertensive drugs under the Drug Price Control Order and National List of Essential Medicines.

NPPA calculated these ceiling prices based on average market prices, ensuring that medicines remain affordable and manufacturers also get reasonable profit margins.
The report said this approach kept out-of-pocket expenditure low for patients and thus enabled the public health system to provide a reliable supply of affordable, quality-assured generic medicines.

WHO said studies indicate that when hypertension medicines are procured and distributed through public sector channels or Jan Aushadhi generic drug stores, the annual cost per patient can be up to 80 per cent lower than in the private sector, benefiting people.
The report said that before these reforms began, hypertension control rates in India were low, with only about 14 percent of adults having their blood pressure under control.

"Recent programme data from Punjab and Maharashtra show that patients treated according to the protocol showed an improvement in blood pressure control rates to 70-81 per cent during follow-up, with an average reduction in systolic blood pressure of 15-16 mm Hg," WHO said.
"These improvements demonstrate that public investment in affordable and accessible antihypertensive drugs not only improves clinical outcomes but also reduces the cost burden of associated diseases (heart disease, strokes)," the global health body said.

The World Health Organization reports that 1.4 billion people will suffer from high blood pressure in 2024, yet only one in five will be able to control it with medication or other methods.
An analysis of data from 195 countries and territories shows that 99 of them have national hypertension control rates below 20 percent. Only 28 percent of low-income countries reported that all World Health Organization-recommended hypertension medications are generally available in pharmacies or primary health centers.