Health ministry revises rates for US-made coronary stents to ease patient costs

The health ministry has revised the prices of coronary stents from three major US companies, lowering the cost of each stent by Tk 3,000 to Tk 88,000, providing much-needed relief to heart patients.

According to a health ministry document, prices of 10 types of stents from Abbott, Boston Scientific, and Medtronic have been revised.

Hospitals will also not be allowed to charge more than five percent in service fees, it said.

Yesterday, the ministry issued a letter instructing the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) and the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) to monitor compliance with the new prices.

A DGDA director confirmed to The Daily Star that the letter had been received today.

The director, seeking anonymity, said stents from both the US and EU are available in Bangladesh, but the expert committee found that stents from US companies were priced significantly higher and subsequently recommended a price reduction.

The health ministry, in a meeting held on March 19, decided to form an expert committee led by the DGDA director general to revise stent prices. 

The committee was tasked with analysing stent prices in four neighbouring countries -- India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Nepal -- as well as Bangladesh's existing tax structures, according to the meeting minutes. 

The meeting was held in response to a sharp rise in stent prices since 2022, following the Russia-Ukraine war.

Earlier, in December 2023, the government had reduced stent prices by up to 46 percent.

According to the American Heart Association, a stent is a flexible tube placed in an artery to increase blood flow to the heart. Stents can help reduce the chance of a heart attack.

The steepest price cut is for Abbott's Synergy XD stents, price of which has been reduced from Tk 1.88 lakh to Tk 1 lakh.

On the other hand, the price of Abbott's Xience Xpedition stent remains unchanged at Tk 71,500.

Prices of nine other types of stents were reduced by Tk 3,000-Tk 50,500, the letter shows.

"In light of the recommendations of the expert advisory committee, and considering taxes, VAT, various charges or commissions, and the reasonable profit margins of the companies, the proposal to re-fix the maximum retail prices (MRP) of coronary stents imported from Abbott, Boston Scientific, and Medtronic has been approved," reads the letter.

In this context, the DGHS and DGDA have been instructed to take necessary measures to widely publicise the approved price list, ensure that hospitals do not collect more than five percent as service charges for stents, and monitor that no cardiovascular or neuro‑implant devices are sold above the approved maximum retail price (MRP), it added.