GUWAHATI: Patients will see lower prices for several cancer medicines from November 9 after the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) revised the maximum retail prices (MRPs) of 543 brands of anti-cancer drugs.
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The revision follows the Centre’s October 17 decision to cap trade margins at 30% of the maximum retail price, excluding GST, for 137 non-scheduled cancer medicines. These are medicines that do not have a government-fixed ceiling price. Trade margins refer to the share of a medicine’s price retained by distributors, chemists, hospitals and other intermediaries in the supply chain.
Among the biggest reductions is that of Palbopro, a 125 mg palbociclib capsule manufactured by RPG Life Sciences. Its price has fallen by around 93.3%, from ₹40,421.33 to ₹2,720 for a pack of 21 capsules.
Samarth Life Sciences’ ISOGEN, available in 100 mg and 125 mg palbociclib capsules, has seen price reductions of around 91.4% to 91.6%. Khandelwal Laboratories’ WOMAZOL, an anastrozole 1 mg tablet, has been reduced by around 91.4%, with the price of a pack of 10 tablets falling from ₹458.85 to ₹39.52.
The price of Samtepa, a 100 mg vial of the chemotherapy drug thiotepa, has dropped from ₹80,071.86 to ₹7,150.33, bringing down the cost by nearly ₹72,922 per vial.
Abiralive, a brand of abiraterone acetate used in prostate cancer treatment, has also recorded a significant reduction. The price of a pack of 120 tablets of 250 mg each has fallen from ₹28,000 to ₹4,840, a reduction of around 83%.
Meanwhile, Ivzumab, a brand of bevacizumab used to treat cancers including colorectal, lung and kidney cancer, has seen its price fall by around 81%. The cost of a 400 mg vial has decreased from ₹69,852.12 to ₹13,512.
However, the price revision has not resulted in reductions across all cancer medicines. At least 65 high-cost, single-source cancer medicines remain unchanged in a comparison of their prices before and after the trade margin cap.
Keytruda, an immunotherapy drug containing pembrolizumab and used to treat more than 21 types of cancer, remains priced at ₹2,16,500 for a 100 mg vial.
Other originator brands whose listed prices remain unchanged include Tagrisso, used for certain lung cancers; Tecentriq; Darzalex; and Imfinzi. Kryxana, a brand of ribociclib used in breast cancer treatment, remains priced at ₹24,435.
The varying price changes reflect how the government's trade margin rationalisation measure operates. Rather than imposing a uniform price reduction across all manufacturers, the policy limits the margins that distributors, stockists and other intermediaries can add to the prices of the identified medicines.
Medicines with substantial mark-ups along the supply chain may see steep price reductions under the cap. However, medicines with high manufacturer prices and limited competition may see little or no change. Some originator brands may also already have listed prices close to the maximum permitted under the revised rules.
The latest revision follows the Centre's decision to introduce Trade Margin Rationalisation (TMR) for 137 identified non-scheduled anti-cancer medicines. The NPPA has invoked provisions of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013, to cap trade margins at 30% of the MRP, excluding GST.
