Re-labelling scam: How price pushed up

NEW DELHI: Different brands of cardiac stents from the same company are priced differently, leading patients to believe that there are qualitative differences between them. However, documents submitted by a company with the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) have stated that its different brands are identical and are merely "rebranding or relabelling" of the brand already available in the market.

Abbot Healthcare's Xience Pro is being sold for over Rs 29,000, Xience V for over 57,000 and Xience Prime for over Rs 74,000 in some of the leading hospitals in the Capital. The rate contract for stents given by Abbot Healthcare to the Maharashtra government quoted Rs 23,625 as the price of the Xience PRO drug eluting stent.

Doctors often claim superiority of one brand over another of the same company, claiming that the superior one is `next generation' or higher quality and persuade patients to pay more for the so-called superior brand. However, in an affidavit filed with the DCGI to get approval for its brand Xience PRO, Abbot Healthcare, the company manufacturing this stent, has stated that the Xience Pro brand of DES was just "rebranding (relabelling)" of the commercially approved XienceV and the Xience Prime LL drug eluting stents.

The company has also filed detailed tables giving head-to head comparison showing how they are absolutely identical.

It also stated in the affidavit: "The Xience PRO brand is identical in design, manufacturing process and specification, intended use, indications and instructions for use to the currently approved product. The Xience PRO brand will have new part numbers and new labelling."

"The Xience PRO and the Xience PRO LL everolimus eluting coronary stent system (EECSS) is a rebranding (relabelling) of the commercially approved Xience V EECSS and the Xience Prime LL EECSS," stated the company affidavit.

On what basis then do cardiologists make claims about the relative superiority of one brand over another? Are they misled by claims made by company representatives or - worse -- are they willing partners in misleading patients?

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