Cancer treatment in India became significantly cheaper this week, after revised prices for 1,364 anti-cancer drug formulations came into effect on Monday, November 9. The government estimates the move will save patients around ₹3,540 crore a year.

The price cuts follow a decision by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) to cap trade margins on 137 anti-cancer drugs at 30 per cent of the maximum retail price (MRP). The cap was imposed on October 17, on the recommendation of an expert committee constituted by the Directorate General of Health Services, after concerns were raised by states, patients and civil society groups about the wide gap between what manufacturers charge and what patients pay.

How big are the cuts?

According to the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, 85 pharmaceutical companies had reported revised MRPs for 1,364 formulations covering 121 drugs as of November 8. Of these, 679 brands reported price reductions of more than 50 per cent, and the steepest single cut stood at 96.45 per cent.

The examples are striking. The price of Anastrozole, a tablet used in breast cancer treatment, has fallen to ₹73 for a pack of 10 tablets, down from ₹695.76. A strip of palbociclib 125 mg capsules under the brand Palbopro has dropped from ₹40,421 to ₹2,720 — a reduction of more than 93 per cent.

The revised prices cover a broad range of oncology medicines, including immunotherapy drugs prescribed for more than 20 types of cancer, Denosumab for breast and prostate cancer, Pegfilgrastim to prevent neutropenia in patients undergoing chemotherapy, and Bevacizumab, used in colon, ovarian and cervical cancers.

Why the government acted

The trade margin is the markup added along the supply chain between what a manufacturer charges a distributor and what a patient pays at a pharmacy. In cancer medicines, these margins had in some cases ballooned to several times the procurement price, pushing life-saving treatment out of reach for families who pay largely out of pocket.

The new order works out each medicine's maximum retail price from its average distributor price of March 2026, with the trade margin capped at 30 per cent and GST added on top. The cap applies to branded and generic drugs, domestically produced and imported, patented and non-patented alike. The NPPA has also published revised prices for 543 brands, and says the list will be updated as more manufacturers submit data.

What patients should do

Patients can check the revised MRP printed on medicine packs, and verify prices through the NPPA website or its Pharma Sahi Daam mobile application. With cancer care among the biggest drivers of catastrophic health spending in India, the price rationalisation is expected to ease the financial burden on lakhs of families — though patient groups will be watching closely to ensure the lower prices actually reach pharmacy counters across the country.