IT·Science News

India cuts prices of 137 cancer drugs: a patient’s court win, and a hit for hospitals

From next month, 137 cancer drugs in India will be cheaper, The Guardian reports, after a case taken to the supreme court in 2022 by a retired bank clerk who could not afford her medicine. The court ruled that mark-ups were “extortion”, and the government moved to cut costs for patients who, the Guardian says, often forgo treatment, sell land or fall into debt to pay for some medicines that make large profits for hospitals and pharmacists.

ThePrint, carrying a Bloomberg report, gives the details. Prices of 137 non-scheduled anti-cancer drugs will fall by up to 70% from 9 November, with trade margins capped at 30% of the maximum retail price. The cap covers branded and generic, domestic and imported, patented and non-patented medicines, including immunotherapies used across 20 cancer types. ThePrint says the move could save patients up to 25 billion rupees (about $263 million) a year. It builds on 2019 controls on 42 cancer medicines.

“With the increasing incidence of cancer in the country, access to affordable, quality-assured medicines is critical.” — Sudarshan Jain, Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance, via ThePrint

How each outlet framed it

• The Guardian — the human story: one patient’s legal fight leading to cheaper drugs for millions.
• ThePrint — the market view: lower out-of-pocket costs, but a likely blow to the revenue of private hospital chains that depend heavily on cancer care.

Where the numbers differ: “up to 70%” is the maximum cut. Nomura, quoted by ThePrint, estimates average drug prices could fall by about 50%.