New Delhi: The bill at the hospital pharmacy is about to change. Revised prices for 137 non-scheduled anti-cancer drugs take effect on Monday, after the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority capped trade margins at 30% of the maximum retail price.
The cap was notified in the gazette on October 17 under Paragraph 19 of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013, and covers patented medicines as well. It followed concern, flagged by the Supreme Court, over the gap between what a drug costs at the first point of sale and what a patient is charged. An expert committee under the Directorate General of Health Services recommended the list.
By Saturday, 76 companies had filed revised MRPs for 1,225 formulations covering 121 of the 137 drugs, the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers said. Prices fell on 1,031 formulations. Six hundred brands reported cuts of more than 50%, and the highest reduction was 96.45%.
Some of the drops are stark. Zydus Lifesciences' Bevacizumab 100 mg injection moves from ₹25,995 to ₹3,318. Reliance Life Sciences' Denosumab 60 mg injection falls from ₹24,955 to ₹6,240. Arvincare Pharma's Abiraterone acetate 250 mg tablet goes from ₹41,250 to ₹3,218.23. RPG Lifesciences' Palbociclib 125 mg capsule drops from ₹40,421.33 to ₹2,720. Lupin's Pertuzumab 420 mg injection comes down from ₹83,520 to ₹37,358.35.
The ministry estimates annual savings of ₹3,502.31 crore. Between 10 and 15 of the listed drugs are not yet sold in India; the cap will apply when they arrive.
Retailers, dealers, hospitals and institutions must display the revised list on their premises and websites, with State Drug Controllers monitoring. Patients can check prices on the NPPA site or the Pharma Sahi Daam app. A similar exercise in 2019, covering 42 drugs, cut prices on 526 brands by up to 90%.