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NPPA Overcharge Complaint

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To,
The Member Secretary
National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA)
Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers
YMCA Cultural Centre Building, 1 Jai Singh Road
New Delhi — 110001

Copy to:
The State Drug Controller / Drugs Control Department

Date:

Subject: Complaint of overcharging above ceiling price under the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013 — 

Dear Sir/Madam,

I wish to report overcharging on by the above establishment, in violation of the ceiling prices notified under the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013, issued under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955.

Details of the overcharge:

  1. Patient name: , Patient ID
  2. Hospital / pharmacy: ,
  3. Bill number and date: ,
  4. Item overcharged:
    • Item name:
    • Brand and manufacturer:
    • Batch / serial number:
    • Notified ceiling price / printed MRP: Rs.  ()
    • Amount charged per unit: Rs. 
    • Quantity:
    • Total excess charged: Rs. 

The amount charged exceeds the applicable ceiling price / printed MRP, which constitutes overcharging under paragraph 20 of the DPCO, 2013. I request the Authority to:

  1. Investigate this overcharging.
  2. Direct recovery of the overcharged amount along with interest, as provided under the DPCO.
  3. Direct a refund of the excess amount of Rs.  to me.
  4. Take such further action against the establishment as the Authority deems fit.

I am enclosing the bill, pharmacy invoice, and . I am willing to provide any further information required.

Thank you,




Enclosures: itemised bill, pharmacy invoice, device sticker or MRP photo, payment receipts.

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How to use this letter

What this letter does

It reports overcharging above a legally binding NPPA ceiling price to the authority that can order a refund with interest. Ceiling prices are fixed under the Drugs (Prices Control) Order 2013, so this is the strongest complaint on the site — it does not depend on a “reasonableness” argument. Keep the tone factual and short; the numbers do the work.

What to do with it

  1. Before you leave the hospital, photograph the device packaging or the price sticker — brand, batch number, and MRP must be visible. Ask for the packaging if you can; hospitals often discard it.
  2. Fill the item details, the ceiling price, the amount charged, the quantity, and the excess. Match every number to a document you can attach.
  3. Print 2 copies and sign both. Email one to the NPPA grievance address on nppa.gov.in and send the other by registered post with AD to the Delhi office.
  4. Copy your State Drug Controller by email and post on the same day — they investigate on the ground.
  5. Save the sent email, the postal receipt, and the AD card. Log every reply you receive.

Questions you may be asked

“GST is extra, that’s why it costs more.”
“The ceiling price notification states whether GST is extra — the excess I calculated accounts for that.”
“This item isn’t under the DPCO.”
“Please confirm that in writing, citing the current schedule. I will verify it against the NPPA notification.”
“The stent price includes the procedure charges.”
“The DPCO ceiling is per unit of the device. Procedure charges are billed separately on the itemised bill.”
“We charge as per hospital policy.”
“Hospital policy cannot override a statutory ceiling under paragraph 20 of the DPCO. Please respond to the specific overcharge.”

Keep calm, keep records

  • Stay polite and factual — this letter goes out under your name, so the tone matters.
  • This complaint runs in parallel with your hospital dispute (Template 2 on billokay.com/templates). Filing the NPPA complaint does not block or replace it, and you should keep both moving.
  • Keep every receipt, AD card, and reply in one folder. If the NPPA orders a refund, this is the evidence trail that carries it through.
Before you send

Attach: the itemised bill and pharmacy invoice showing the charged price per unit, a photo of the device packaging or price sticker for stents and implants (brand, batch, MRP visible), the NPPA ceiling notification entry if you have it, and payment receipts.

How to send: email to the NPPA grievance address (published on nppa.gov.in) and by registered post with AD to the NPPA Delhi office. Also copy the State Drug Controller by email and post — they handle enforcement on the ground and often move faster. Keep the postal receipts.

When you need this complaint

Use this letter when a hospital or its pharmacy has charged you above the printed MRP or the NPPA ceiling price on a scheduled drug, a coronary stent, or a knee implant. Ceiling prices are fixed under the Drugs (Prices Control) Order 2013, so this is the strongest complaint on the escalation ladder — it does not rest on a “reasonableness” argument the way a hospital-side dispute does. The overcharge is either above the notified figure or it is not, and the numbers do the arguing.

The NPPA can direct the establishment to recover the overcharged amount with interest and, in devices cases in particular, has done so against hospitals repeatedly. File it whenever you have the batch or serial number, the printed MRP or ceiling price, and the amount charged — those three pieces of evidence are what the Authority acts on.

What happens after you send it

Frequently asked questions

Is charging above MRP illegal in India?

Yes. Selling any packaged item — including a drug, stent, or implant — above the printed maximum retail price is prohibited under the Legal Metrology Act 2009 for every seller, and hospital pharmacies are not exempt. For scheduled drugs and notified devices, the printed MRP itself must sit at or below the NPPA ceiling price fixed under the Drugs (Prices Control) Order 2013, so charging above MRP breaches both laws at once.

What are NPPA ceiling prices?

They are legally binding maximum prices set by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority under the DPCO 2013. They apply to every drug in the Schedule (currently about 900 formulations covering most essential medicines) and to notified medical devices — coronary stents at ₹10,762.15 for bare-metal and ₹39,186.03 for drug-eluting (excluding GST, w.e.f. 1 April 2026), and knee implants under the 2017 ceilings extended to 15 November 2026. Prices above these caps are recoverable with interest.

Where do I send the complaint?

To the NPPA in New Delhi (Member Secretary, National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority) as the primary addressee, with a copy to your State Drug Controller — they enforce ceiling prices on the ground and often move faster than the central authority. Send it by email and by registered post with acknowledgement due on the same day, and keep both receipts.

Can I still complain if I have already paid and been discharged?

Yes. The evidence for an NPPA complaint is the bill and the pharmacy invoice, not your admission status. What matters is that you can show the amount charged per unit, the ceiling price or printed MRP, and the batch or serial number of the item. For stents and implants, a photograph of the device sticker or packaging is the strongest single piece of evidence — keep it safe even after discharge.

The escalation ladder

Hospital track ←Bill dispute letterAll templates →Hospital bill dispute templates