New Delhi, Oct 2026 : The government has expanded price controls on non-scheduled anti-cancer medicines to curb excessive pricing and reduce the financial burden on patients, with the move expected to lower prices by up to 70 per cent and generate annual savings of Rs 2,500 crore.
The Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers said trade margins on the supply and sale of non-scheduled anti-cancer drugs would be capped at 30 per cent of the Maximum Retail Price (MRP). The measure extends price protection to cancer medicines that are not included in the government’s scheduled list.
Essential cancer medicines already covered under the scheduled list are subject to government-fixed ceiling prices. Under the expanded framework, restrictions will apply to the margins added to non-scheduled medicines before they reach patients.
An expert committee under the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) will finalise the list of medicines to be covered. The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) will subsequently issue the notification implementing the measure, the government said.
According to the ministry, cancer incidence is rising in India, with approximately 60 people per one lakh population affected. An NPPA analysis found that non-scheduled anti-cancer medicines carried an average mark-up of around 170 per cent, with mark-ups reaching 700 per cent or more in some cases.
The analysis also highlighted substantial price variations across retail pharmacies, hospital pharmacies and online platforms. State authorities in Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Karnataka, along with patients and civil society groups, had raised concerns about high medicine prices and the significant gap between procurement costs and MRPs.
The latest intervention builds on a 2019 decision under which the NPPA capped trade margins on 42 selected non-scheduled anti-cancer drugs under the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013. According to the government, that measure reduced MRPs by as much as 91 per cent and delivered reported annual savings of Rs 984 crore across 526 brands.
To prevent supply disruptions following the expansion of price controls, manufacturers will be required to maintain their existing production levels.
The new cap will cover branded and generic medicines, including domestically manufactured and imported drugs, as well as patented and non-patented non-scheduled anti-cancer medicines.
The government said the initiative is aimed at improving affordability and ensuring that patients can access cancer treatment without facing excessive medicine costs.
(Disclaimer :The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)
