NPPA Updates List of Reduced MRPs for 1,085 Anti-Cancer Drugs

The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), the regulatory body controlling drug prices, updated the revised maximum retail price (MRP) list for 1,085 anti-cancer drugs of various brands on Tuesday. According to a BusinessLine report by PTI, these revised prices will come into effect from November 9.

The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) had on October 28 revised and reduced the maximum retail prices of 543 anti-cancer drugs across various brands. According to a post made by the NPPA on the social media platform X, the total number of such drugs in this list has now increased to 1,085.

This revised list reflects the information submitted by pharmaceutical companies up to November 3. This list will be continuously updated, and changes will be made whenever manufacturers submit revised prices for non-scheduled anti-cancer drugs.

This entire price revision process follows the announcement made by the NPPA on October 17, which implemented trade margin rationality on 137 non-scheduled anti-cancer drugs. According to a report by The Hindu, with the aim of making cancer treatment more affordable and accessible, the NPPA has capped the trade margin at 30 percent on 137 non-scheduled anti-cancer drugs. As a result of this measure, prices of nearly 900 brands of cancer drugs have seen a reduction of 70 percent to 93 percent.

However, discussions are also emerging that price regulation alone may not be sufficient for comprehensive cancer treatment in India. According to a report published in The Hindu, a discussion on this matter took place between Indu Bhushan and K.M. Gopakumar, which was moderated by Bindu Shajan Perappadan.

As background, Indu Bhushan is a bureaucrat, economist, and the first CEO of Ayushman Bharat, while K.M. Gopakumar holds roles as a legal advisor, senior researcher, and public health expert.