Cancer drug prices may fall by up to 70%

NEW DELHI: Prices of some cancer medicines that are not covered under the price control list may fall by up to 70% after the Centre capped the trade margins on 110 cancer drugs at 30%. The move is expected to save patients around Rs 2,500 crore annually. The list includes 35 patented drugs, along with branded and generic medicines, both patented and non-patented, manufactured in India or imported.

Under the new rule, the difference between the price at which a medicine is supplied to a retailer and its maximum retail price (MRP) cannot exceed 30%. A committee headed by the Director General of Health Services will finalise the list and decide on further steps. In 2019, the Centre had imposed a 30% trade margin cap on 42 cancer drugs that were not under price control. Following the move, the MRPs of 526 brands fell by an average of nearly 50%.