New Delhi: The Centre’s decision to cap trade margins on 137 non-scheduled anti-cancer drugs has reduced the maximum retail prices (MRPs) of 484 of 643 listed medicine packs, but left nearly one in four packs unchanged, raising questions about how much relief the measure will bring to cancer patients, an analysis of National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) data has found.
Manufacturers were asked to submit revised price lists to NPPA. “The price drop is a clear example of how hospitals were actually exploiting the patients in collaboration with pharmaceutical companies. However, we can see these cuts have by and large been on generics and biosimilars. There are same molecules but different prices as the originator has not been slashed. “True price rationalisation requires transparency and regulation of manufacturer-level reference prices, not just distribution mark-ups. Trade margin alone will not lead to a reduction in overall cancer care as new and efficacious treatments are still out of reach.
“The updated list records reductions for 484 of 643 entries. Selected medicines receive cuts exceeding 90%, while 159 entries show no reduction. On October 17, the NPPA announced Trade Margin Rationalisation (TMR) for 137 non-scheduled anti-cancer drugs in the public interest, with the stated aim of addressing excessive trade margins, making cancer treatment more affordable and improving access to medicines.
The NPPA, which released its list of “Revised MRP of Non-Scheduled Anti-Cancer Drugs” on Tuesday, showed that prices of 159 packs remained unchanged. Several unchanged packs retain prices of multiple lakh rupees,” said an analysis by Access to Medicines and Treatment India, which highlighted the limitations of the measure and called for broader policy interventions to make cancer treatment affordable and accessible. In effect, it creates a situation where hospitals can still keep these high-valued brands and keep away the low-valued ones and make more money,” said KM Gopakumar, senior researcher and legal advisor at Delhi-based Third World Network. Single-source medicines need different policy interventions, such as public health safeguards in the Patents Act such as compulsory licence, and capping of cancer treatment charges,” Gopakumar said.
RPG Life Sciences’ Anarzole, a 1 mg anastrozole tablet used in hormone-sensitive breast cancer, has been reduced from ₹ 695.76 to ₹ 73 for a pack of 10 tablets. Dr Reddy’s Laboratories’ Azacytin, a 100 mg azacitidine injection, now has an MRP of ₹ 1,495.04, down from ₹ 6,337.
KC Jain, an Agra-based advocate, had earlier petitioned the Supreme Court seeking changes to drug price controls.
