Mumbai: Where have all the vitamin C tablets gone?

It's been four months since proper supply stopped, distributors say; patients say replacements in the market are exorbitant

If you're having troubling finding your favourite vitamin C supplement, Celin or Limcee (tablets and chewables), at the chemist, you can blame the government for it. The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has suddenly decided to bring these two vitamin C drugs under the controlled category, which means their price will now be decided by the government. These drugs were earlier a D-category listing (where pharma companies could decide the price). This has now resulted in pharma companies going slow on production, badly impacting consumers.

Celin and Limcee, recommended by physicians, orthopaedicians and ophthalmologists, are not only cheap, but do not have any substitute in that price range. The alternative branded local/imported brands for Vitamin C are priced 100 times more. For instance, where a strip of 15x500mg Celin pills cost R17.50, a pack of 20x1,000 mg imported or local brand of Vitamin C pills cost R352. While Celin is manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals, Limcee is the product of Abbott Pharma.

Limcee

Advocate Lakshmi Ravindra, from Navi Mumbai, whose mother has macular degeneration, recently managed to get a single Celin strip from a chemist with an older stock. Dr Wiqar Shaikh, a senior physician, who runs an allergy clinic, said, "I prescribe Vitamin C tablets for patients with allergic colds and rhinitis to improve their immunity. If patients cannot afford the expensive alternative brands, I suggest natural sources such as lemon juice, etc."

Dr Pradeep Bhosale, director arthritis and joint replacement, Nanavati Hospital, said, "Our pharmacist still has his stock as we do bulk purchases. It is important in post surgery recovery.

Limcee

Interestingly, BMC and government-run pharmaceuticals do not have any problem with their supply of Vitamin C medicines. A senior physician from Rajawadi Hospital said, "We have a central purchase department that does bulk purchases of medicines. However, unlike large pharma companies, who do extensive R&D on their drugs and packaging, our drugs are generic with no brand name."

Rs 17.50
Cost of strip of 15x500mg Celin pills

Rs 352
Cost of pack of 20x1,000 mg imported or local brand

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