High prices of anticancer drugs in India come under the microscope

Several complaints that manufactures in India are selling life saving anticancer drugs at exorbitant prices has got the drug regulator to pressurize the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) to include anticancer drugs under the Drug Price Control Order (DPCO), reports The Pharma Letter’s India correspondent.

While the move is expected to deal a body blow to manufacturers of drugs such as erlotinib, trastuzumab, lenalidomide, irinotecan, all trans retinoic acid (ATRA), capecitabine, bendamustine, rituximab, zoledronic acid, temozolomide, letrozole, megestrol acetate, among others, drug prices are also expected to crash in the near term.

A new study has revealed that the price of one of four essential drugs that were on NPPA price cap list of 489 formulations has slumped by over 40%, as compared to prices prevalent prior to the NPPA induced price cap last year. Moreover, margins and profitability was also affected of drug companies whose medications had been brought under price control.