Bengaluru: Cancer drugs are now available at significantly lower prices in Bengaluru following the implementation of revised prices for 137 non-scheduled anti-cancer drugs across 543 brands regulated by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) from Monday.
The price reduction follows the NPPA’s decision to cap trade margins on 137 non-scheduled anti-cancer drugs at 30% of their price to the retailer. The move came amid concerns over excessive mark-ups across the supply chain, with trade margins on some cancer drugs reportedly touching 700%.
I will start procuring the medicines again as and when orders come in,” said BR Prasad, owner of Prasad Medical, KR Road. “To avoid losses, I did not stock any of these medicines. Patients and their families, hospitals and other stakeholders are aware of the revision. The organisation has cautioned retailers against charging patients more than the revised MRP and urged all stakeholders to ensure uninterrupted availability of anti-cancer medicines during the transition.
I checked with my distributor on Monday to confirm whether the revised prices had come into effect, and they confirmed it.
The NPPA invoked its powers under Paragraph 19 of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013, to regulate trade margins in public interest and make cancer treatment more affordable. The revised prices are expected to save consumers around Rs 3,502 crore annually. For instance, the MRP of a vial of Bevacizumab 100 mg/4 ml, used to treat cancers such as colorectal and lung cancer, has come down from Rs 21,767.70 to Rs 5,930.13, a reduction of 72.8%. Similarly, the price of a strip of 10 Anastrozole 1 mg tablets, used to treat hormone-sensitive breast cancer, has dropped from Rs 695.76 to Rs 73, a cut of nearly 89.5%.
The extent of the reduction varies across brands depending on the strength, formulation and pack size.