Guwahati: The Assam Drugs Control Administration has directed all retailers, distributors, stockists and hospitals across the state to sell 137 non-scheduled anti-cancer medicines at revised, reduced maximum retail prices (MRP) from November 9.

In a notice issued on Monday, the administration warned that a 90-day statewide inspection drive would be conducted to ensure compliance with the revised pricing norms.

The directive follows a Gazette notification issued by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) on October 17, capping trade margins on the identified medicines at 30 per cent of their MRP. The NPPA invoked Paragraph 19 of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013, which empowers the regulator to intervene in the public interest.

The price cap applies to non-scheduled formulations containing the listed medicines, whether as single drugs or in combination with other ingredients. It also covers patented medicines.

Under the Assam administration’s directive, retail pharmacies, hospital dispensaries, stockists and distributors have been instructed to prominently display the revised prices at their premises, in accordance with Paragraph 25(3) of the 2013 Order.

The administration warned that establishments found selling the medicines above the revised MRP would face action under the Drugs (Prices Control) Order and the Essential Commodities Act, 1955.

“Immediate and strict compliance is mandated,” the Drugs Control Administration said in its notice.

The national pricing intervention follows findings that non-scheduled anti-cancer medicines were being sold with average trade mark-ups of around 170 per cent, with margins reaching as high as 700 per cent in certain cases. The revised pricing mechanism is expected to bring down medicine prices by up to 70 per cent, depending on their existing price structures.

The 137 medicines include drugs used in the treatment of different types of cancer, including immunotherapy treatments. Nivolumab, Olaparib, Denosumab and Topotecan are among the medicines covered by the revised pricing framework.

The latest move builds on a similar exercise undertaken in 2019, when the NPPA capped trade margins at 30 per cent for 42 anti-cancer medicines. The intervention led to price reductions of up to 90 per cent across 526 brands.

The NPPA has made the relevant orders and updated price lists available on its official website.