समाचार Samāchār · India · 8 November 2026

Cancer drugs get cheaper from 9 November as India caps trade margins on 137 medicines

The NPPA has capped trade margins at 30% on 137 anti-cancer drugs. More than 600 brands cut prices by over half. The estimated saving to patients is ₹3,502 crore a year.

From Monday, cancer care costs less at the chemist’s counter. Revised prices of 137 anti-cancer drugs take effect on 9 November under a trade margin cap set by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority. The Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers puts the saving to patients at ₹3,502.31 crore a year.

The mechanism is precise. The NPPA used Paragraph 19 of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013 to cap the margin between the price to stockist and the MRP at 30%. The order, SO 5690(E) dated 17 October, followed the recommendations of an expert committee under the Directorate General of Health Services. 76 companies have filed revised MRPs for 1,225 formulations covering 121 drugs. Prices fall for 1,031 of them. More than 600 brands are down by over half. The steepest cut is 96.45%.

The examples show how wide the gap was. RPG Life Sciences’ Palbopro (palbociclib 125 mg) falls from ₹40,421 to ₹2,720. Arvincare Pharma’s Abirone (abiraterone 250 mg) falls from ₹41,250 to ₹3,218. Zydus Lifesciences’ Bryxta (bevacizumab 100 mg) falls from ₹25,995 to ₹3,318. Between 10 and 15 of the listed drugs are not yet sold in India. They come under the cap when they launch.

This builds on a 2019 pilot that capped margins on 42 cancer drugs at 30%. The 2026 list is more than three times larger, and it will be updated over time. Credit goes to the NPPA, the Department of Pharmaceuticals and the DGHS committee of oncologists and hospital specialists who did the work. State drug controllers now carry the harder part. The new MRP has to be what the patient actually pays.

Price is one half of the fight. Early screening is the other, and it is cheaper still. A country that spends on prevention spends less on hospitals.

What a founder takes from it: This is price regulation aimed at the margin, not the maker. The patient pays less and the manufacturer’s price to the stockist stays untouched. The next lever is prevention: cancer caught early costs the family and the country far less.