India has announced sharp price reductions for 543 brands of anti-cancer medicines, with prices of some formulations falling by more than 90 per cent, offering potential relief to patients struggling with the high cost of cancer treatment.
The revised maximum retail prices (MRPs), issued by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (Nppa) on October 28, will come into effect on November 9. The decision follows the government’s move to rationalize trade margins on 137 non-scheduled anti-cancer drugs in the public interest.
According to the revised price list, the cost of a 21-capsule pack of one brand of palbociclib, used to treat certain types of breast cancer, has fallen from Rs 40,421.33 to Rs 2,720. The price of a 100mg vial of thiotepa, a chemotherapy drug, has dropped from Rs 80,071.86 to Rs 7,150.33.
Other medicines, including dasatinib, lenvatinib, abiraterone and olaparib, have also seen price reductions. The steepest cuts for selected formulations are reported to reach 93.3%.
The price revisions could ease the financial burden on cancer patients and their families, many of whom face substantial expenses during prolonged treatment. The reductions may also benefit patients from Bangladesh who travel to India for specialized cancer care, although the actual savings will depend on the medicines prescribed and their availability.
However, the price cuts do not extend to all cancer medicines. Several high-cost patented treatments, including Keytruda, Tagrisso, Tecentriq, Darzalex and Imfinzi, remain unchanged in the latest revision. The price of ribociclib, another medicine used to treat breast cancer, has also remained unchanged at Rs 24,435, according to the published list.
The decision has drawn criticism from public health advocates, who argue that reducing trade margins alone will not ensure lasting affordability.
Jan Swasthya Abhiyan India (JSA India) has called for cost-based price controls, permanent and enforceable limits on trade margins, regular monitoring and independent verification of revised medicine prices.
The organization has questioned the policy’s pricing formula, which permits a 42.8% markup over the price to stockist (PTS), arguing that a lower margin could deliver greater savings to patients. It has also raised concerns about the exclusion of medicines supplied free under patient assistance programs from pricing calculations.
S Srinivasan, co-convenor of the All India Drug Action Network, has similarly argued that the existing price-setting framework can leave expensive medicines unaffordable even after trade margins are reduced. He has called for medicine prices to be determined through a cost-based approach.
The Nppa’s revised list reflects information submitted by pharmaceutical companies up to October 27 and may be updated as manufacturers report their revised prices.
While the latest intervention is expected to make some cancer medicines considerably cheaper, its overall impact will depend on the extent of price reductions across treatments and the effectiveness of future regulatory oversight.
Health advocates maintain that sustainable access to life-saving medicines requires more than one-time price cuts, calling for a pricing system that ensures affordability based on patients’ medical needs rather than their ability to pay.