Guwahati: India’s national drug price regulator has revised the maximum retail prices of 543 cancer drug brands, with some medicines becoming cheaper by more than 90%.
The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) released the revised price list on Wednesday, covering several generic and biosimilar medicines. However, prices of some expensive branded cancer treatments, including Keytruda from MSD Pharma, remain unchanged.
Among the major reductions, the price of one brand of Palbociclib, used to treat certain types of breast cancer, has fallen from Rs 40,421 to Rs 2,270 for the specified pack size.
The cost of Thiotepa, a chemotherapy drug manufactured by Samarth Life Sciences Pvt Ltd, has also dropped from Rs 80,072 to Rs 7,150 for a 100 mg vial.
Other cancer medicines, including Dasatinib, Lenvatinib, Abiraterone and Olaparib, have also become cheaper under the revised pricing.
However, the price of Ribociclib, another medicine used to treat breast cancer, remains unchanged at Rs 24,435. Several originator brands, including Tagrisso, Tecentriq, Darzalex and Imfinzi, have also retained their existing prices.
Revised prices to take effect on November 9
The new prices will come into effect on November 9. The revision follows the NPPA’s decision to cap trade margins at 30% of the maximum retail price for 137 non-scheduled anti-cancer drugs.
The regulator announced the trade margin rationalisation measure on October 17, citing public interest and the need to make cancer treatment more affordable. The move followed concerns raised by the Supreme Court over the high cost of cancer medicines and the margins charged across the drug supply chain.
The latest price list reflects information submitted by pharmaceutical companies up to October 27. The NPPA said it would update the list as manufacturers submit revised prices for non-scheduled anti-cancer medicines.
Activists question affordability of costly medicines
Despite the price reductions, concerns remain over the affordability of expensive cancer treatments in India.
S Srinivasan, co-convenor of the All India Drug Action Network (AIDAN), said many high-cost medicines remained unaffordable for cancer patients even after the latest revisions.
He argued that the existing pricing framework under the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013, uses a simple average formula to calculate ceiling prices, which can allow the high cost of some medicines to persist.
Srinivasan said reducing trade margins alone would not be sufficient to make all cancer medicines affordable. He called for prices to be determined using the cost-based formula under the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 1995.
The latest revision seeks to reduce the financial burden of cancer treatment by limiting trade margins on selected medicines. However, the unchanged prices of several expensive branded drugs continue to raise questions about the broader affordability of cancer care in the country.