Cardiac stent prices to be reduced from Sept 1

Abbott Laboratories and Boston Scientific -- two of the global leading producers and suppliers of cardiac stents -- have agreed to reduce the base prices of several cardiac stents with effect from September 1.

Officials of the two companies agreed to the price reduction at a meeting at Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) this noon.

"We will now take steps to revise the pricing formula and reduce the government taxes. So, the price will reduce further," Maj Gen Mohammad Yousuf, director general of the DGDA, told The Daily Star today.

Of the stents produced by Abbott Laboratories, the base price of Xience Prime, one of the highest used stents in Bangladesh, will be reduced to US 425 from US 561.

As a result, the maximum retail price would also be reduced from Tk 84,800 to Tk 64,754 without reducing taxes and revising the pricing formula.

Besides, the base price of another stent of this company, Xpedition, will also be reduced in phases to US 600 from the current price of US 830. As a result, the maximum retail price would be reduced to Tk 1.81 lakh without reducing taxes and revising the pricing formula.

Similarly, the base price of Promus Primer, another highly used stent produced by Boston Scientific, will be reduced to US 470 from US 570.

As a result, the MRP of this stent will be reduced to Tk 74,411 from Tk 86,500.

In the meeting, the DGDA also asked the Boston officials to reduce the base price for their Synergy stents by US 300 from the current price US 1,200, and of their Promus Elite stents by US 300 from US 900.

"Boston officials have said they would inform their decision on our proposal later," said Yousuf.

"We have proposed them to maintain the same price they charge in India. They have agreed on it," he added.