Pursuing its neo-liberal agenda of decontrol and liberalisation, the present government is planning to move towards market-based pricing from the current cost-plus-based pricing mechanism for drugs under price control. By refusing to include fi xed dose combinations of essential medicines, sticking only to dosages and strengths involving essential drugs and leaving out "me too" drugs in similar therapeutic classes, the government is designing escape routes for companies to wriggle out of the price control mechanism.