Anti-cancer drug prices: new, lower MRPs for 137 medicines take effect

Lower prices for 137 anti-cancer drugs came into effect on Monday (9 November), after the government capped trade margins on the medicines. The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) says 85 companies had reported revised maximum retail prices (MRPs) for 1,364 anti-cancer formulations, covering 121 drugs, as of 8 November. The highest reported cut is 96.45%, and consumers are expected to save about ₹3,540.38 crore a year, according to a Press Information Bureau release issued on Monday.

What changed? The NPPA, under the Department of Pharmaceuticals, capped trade margins at 30% of the MRP for 137 non-scheduled anti-cancer drugs, under Paragraph 19 of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013. The list was recommended by an expert committee set up by the Directorate General of Health Services, and the notification was issued on 17 October. It includes widely used drugs such as pembrolizumab, durvalumab, osimertinib, denosumab, pegfilgrastim and bevacizumab. As The Indian Idiot reported in October, the revised prices were due from 9 November.

How big are the cuts? The PIB says 679 brands have reported price reductions of more than 50%. On 7 November, an earlier ministry update counted 1,225 formulations from 76 companies and an estimated saving of ₹3,502.31 crore; the figures have risen as more companies reported. The Economic Times listed examples of the cuts, including the breast-cancer drug palbociclib 125 mg (Palbopro, RPG Life Sciences) falling from ₹40,421.33 to ₹2,720, and bevacizumab 100 mg (Bryxta, Zydus Lifesciences) from ₹25,995 to ₹3,318. Not every drug falls by as much: Lupin’s pertuzumab 420 mg injection went from ₹83,520 to ₹37,358.30.

What can patients do? No chemist or hospital pharmacy can charge more than the revised MRP, the PIB said. Patients can check the new price printed on the pack, or look it up on the Pharma Sahi Daam mobile app or the NPPA website, nppa.gov.in. Overcharging complaints can be filed on the Pharma Jan Samadhan portal or with the NPPA helpline on 1800-111-255. Hospitals and retailers must display the revised price lists, and state drug controllers are responsible for checking compliance.

The move builds on a 2019 pilot in which trade margins for 42 anti-cancer drugs were capped at 30%; the government says that exercise cut the MRP of 526 brands by up to 90%. Ten to 15 of the 137 drugs have not yet been launched in India, and the cap will apply to them when they are. The NPPA has said the list will be updated periodically.