Cancer drug prices in India are expected to fall by up to 70% from November 9 after the central government capped trade margins at 30% for 137 identified anti-cancer medicines.
The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), under the Department of Pharmaceuticals, announced the measure to address excessive trade margins, reduce treatment costs and improve access to cancer medicines. The revised prices will apply to selected non-scheduled anti-cancer drugs, with the extent of the reduction depending on their existing price structures. <escape>Source</escape>
The decision follows recommendations from an expert committee under the Directorate General of Health Services, comprising oncologists, medical specialists, hospital experts and government officials. The committee identified 137 medicines for inclusion in the price-control measure, and the list is expected to be updated periodically.
Under the new order, manufacturers must inform the NPPA of their revised prices within seven days of the Gazette notification. They must also publish updated price lists and circulate them to retailers and hospitals. Pharmacies and medical institutions will be required to charge the revised prices from November 9.
The government said the intervention builds on a similar initiative in 2019, when trade margins on 42 anti-cancer drugs were capped at 30%. That exercise led to price reductions of up to 90% for 526 brands of non-scheduled cancer medicines.
The latest measure aims to ease the financial burden on patients and their families by limiting mark-ups across the medicine supply chain. Consumers will be able to check revised drug prices through the NPPA website and the Pharma Sahi Daam app.
