NEW DELHI: The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has revised the Maximum Retail Prices (MRP) of 137 non-scheduled generic and biosimilar cancer drugs spanning 643 brands, resulting in a substantial price reduction for 72 key oncology medicines. The official notification follows the central government’s policy decision to cap the trade margin on non-scheduled anti-cancer drugs at 30 per cent of the MRP. The revised retail prices will come into effect nationwide from November 9.
Under the notification, prices of 72 formulations will see reductions of up to 93 per cent. The maximum price slashes have occurred in generic and biosimilar categories where significant price disparities previously existed among competing brands. For instance, the retail price of ‘Palbapro’ (125 mg, pack of 21 tablets), used in breast cancer therapy, has plummeted from Rs 40,421 to Rs 2,720.
Similarly, the price of prostate cancer drug ‘Abiralive’ (250 mg, 120 tablets) has been reduced from Rs 28,000 to Rs 4,840, while breast cancer medication ‘Vomasol’ (pack of 10 tablets) will now cost Rs 39.52, down from its earlier price of Rs 458.
Patented High-Cost Drugs Exempt from Price Cuts However, the price revision offers no relief for 65 high-cost, patented oncology formulations produced by single manufacturers. Key immunotherapy drug ‘Keytruda’ (100 mg vial) will continue to be priced at Rs 2,16,500. Other premium patented medications, including ‘Jemperli’ (Rs 1,90,691 per 10 ml vial), ‘Imfinzi’ (Rs 1,71,324 per 10 ml vial), lung cancer drug ‘Tagrisso’ (Rs 1,38,830 for 10 tablets of 80 mg), and ‘Alecensa’ (Rs 4,30,696 for 224 tablets of 150 mg), remain unaffected by the price cap and will retain their existing MRPs.
For more details: Navamalayalam.com