NEW DELHI — Cancer treatment is set to get sharply cheaper for many patients from Monday, November 9, after the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) on Saturday released its final tally of revised prices: 1,031 anti-cancer formulations will cost less, and the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers estimates the annual savings to consumers at Rs 3,502.31 crore, The Hindu BusinessLine reported, citing the NPPA's note, and news agency ANI reported in the Ministry's statement.

Source: The Hindu BusinessLine

About 76 pharmaceutical companies have revised MRPs for 1,225 anti-cancer formulations covering 121 drugs, the NPPA said. A reduction has been reported in 1,031 formulations, with 600 brands reporting cuts of above 50 per cent and the highest reduction at 96.45 per cent. According to a source cited by BusinessLine, about 203 brand prices remain unchanged.

1,031formulations cheaper from November 9
Rs 3,502.31 croreestimated annual savings to consumers
96.45%steepest single price cut reported
600+brands cut by more than 50 per cent

The cuts patients will see

Among the examples the NPPA listed: Zydus Lifesciences' Bevacizumab 100 mg injection, used in lung, colon, ovary and cervical cancers, falls from Rs 25,995 to Rs 3,318; RPG Lifesciences' Palbociclib 125 mg capsule for breast cancer falls from Rs 40,421.33 to Rs 2,720; Arvincare Pharma's Abiraterone acetate 250 mg tablet for prostate cancer falls from Rs 41,250 to Rs 3,218.23; Reliance Life Sciences' Denosumab 60 mg injection falls from Rs 24,955 to Rs 6,240, and its Pegfilgrastim 6 mg injection from Rs 7,790 to Rs 1,397.

How this follows the October cap

The revision completes a process Awaaz Punjab reported on October 28, when an earlier NPPA list based on company filings up to October 27 covered 543 brands, of which 397 had been cut. That list followed the NPPA's October 17 order — notification SO 5690 (E), issued under Paragraph 19 of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013 — capping trade margins at 30 per cent on 137 non-scheduled anti-cancer drugs, acting on the recommendations of an Expert Committee constituted by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) and under the Supreme Court's watch. Saturday's final tally more than doubles the number of formulations covered.

About 10 to 15 of the 137 identified drugs are yet to be launched in India, and the trade-margin cap will apply to them when they are brought into the country, the NPPA said. The notification remains in force until further orders. Every retailer, dealer, hospital and institution must prominently display the revised MRP list on their websites and premises, the NPPA said, and State Drug Controllers oversee compliance.

Check before you pay

Patients and families can verify the revised price of a cancer medicine on the NPPA's Pharma Sahi Daam mobile application and the NPPA website, and can report non-compliance there, the Ministry said.