Pricing controls on a range of anti-cancer drugs form the basis of a new policy put forward by India's government, with the stated aim of lowering what patients pay for treatment. A ceiling of 30 per cent on trade margins now governs 137 non-scheduled anti-cancer medicines, put in place by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority, a body that answers to the Department of Pharmaceuticals.
Inflated distribution margins stand in the way of patients obtaining cancer medicines, and the programme is designed to bring those markups down. Retail prices on these medicines could fall by up to 70 per cent, based on where each product is currently positioned in the market, official estimates indicate.
Among the 137 medicines on the roster, immunotherapy agents account for a notable portion, with their applications spanning more than 20 distinct cancer types. Among the drugs included are Denosumab, routinely prescribed to patients with breast or prostate cancer, alongside Pegfilgrastim, which oncology teams use to reduce the risk of neutropenia developing during treatment. Bevacizumab — a drug carrying regulatory approval for use against colon, ovarian, and cervical cancers — has been drawn into the programme as well.
Three cancer therapies — Pembrolizumab, Durvalumab, and Osimertinib — are among the treatments that broader numbers of patients may be able to obtain once the revised pricing takes hold.
Drawn from oncologists, hospital practitioners, medical specialists, and government officials, the advisory body operating beneath the Directorate General of Health Services assembled the roster of medicines recommended for adoption. Revisions to the roster of affected medications will be made on a rolling basis, keeping pace with shifts in both treatment guidelines and the supply of available drugs.
Under Paragraph 19 of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013, trade margins on medicines are capped at 30 per cent of the maximum retail price — a ceiling the NPPA has anchored its ruling to. On 17 October 2026, the Gazette carried a formal notification setting out the particulars of that amendment.
A 30 per cent ceiling on trade margins across 42 anti-cancer medicines had already been put in place through a 2019 policy, and the new measure extends that approach further. Price ceilings on 526 non-scheduled anti-cancer drug brands were cut by as much as 90 per cent once that policy step took effect.
Under the updated fee framework, November 9, 2026 marks the date those new rates take hold. Within seven days of a Gazette notification being published, drug makers are required to lodge their updated pricing details with the NPPA. Under the new rules, price lists are to be kept current on company websites and made available to retailers and hospitals.
Starting 9 November, pharmacies and hospitals are required to apply the revised pricing structure and post the updated schedules in a visible location. Updated drug prices are accessible for cross-checking through two channels: the Pharma Sahi Daam app and the NPPA's dedicated web portal.
Where anti-cancer drug supplies flow directly to hospitals and medical institutions, those facilities are required to adhere to the updated pricing structure. Compliance with drug regulations across the supply chain — spanning manufacturers, distributors, retailers, hospitals, and medical facilities — falls under the jurisdiction of state-level drug control authorities.
Curbing profit mark-ups along the supply and retail chain forms part of the policy aim, alongside protecting reasonable earnings for drug producers and keeping these medicines available without disruption.
