High Court restrains NPPA from action against AstraZeneca

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has temporarily restrained the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) from taking any coercive action against AstraZeneca Pharma India for recovering more than Rs 151 crore in the alleged drug overcharging case.The court order will be in effect till January 11, the next date of hearing.AstraZeneca Pharma has made out a prima facie case that its Symbicort Turbuhaler 160/4.5 (Inhaler) may not fall within the category of drugs whose prices are controlled under the Drugs (Price Control) Order, 2013, said Justice Amit Mahajan, while seeking the pricing authority's response on the pharma company's petition related to pricing violations under the Drugs (Price Control) Order, 2013.AstraZeneca Pharma's Symbicort Turbuhaler 160/4.5 is used in the treatment of asthma where the use of a corticosteroid and long-acting beta-agonist combination is appropriate. The authority had issued a notice to the company, alleging that it was overcharging for the inhaler. The NPPA claimed violations occurred during the period May 2016 to November 2025.The company has denied allegations that it sold the product at a price higher than that fixed for such formulations.