NPPA Slashes Cancer Drug Prices: ₹696 Becomes ₹73

India’s drug regulator just capped mark-ups on 137 cancer drugs, and one brand falls by about 90% from November 9.

The Pharmacy Counter Moment: ₹695.76 Becomes ₹73

Picture a pharmacy counter on the morning of November 9. A woman on long-term breast cancer therapy hands over her prescription. The strip of ten anastrozole tablets that cost ₹695.76 last week is now priced at ₹73.

That is the real story of NPPA cancer drug pricing. It lands just after National Cancer Awareness Day on November 7, and it changes what many families pay.

15.7 Lakh Cases a Year, and a Bill That Breaks Budgets

India is living through a steady rise in cancer. ICMR’s National Cancer Registry Programme estimates 15,69,793 cases for 2025. The Global Cancer Observatory projects 22,18,694 cases by 2040. 

The treatment bill is heavy too. A 2023 study in The Lancet Regional Health – Southeast Asia estimated annual out-of-pocket spending on cancer treatment at ₹3.3 lakh per patient. 

The Number Nobody Talked About: A 700% Mark-Up

Some cancer drugs already sit under a price ceiling. NPPA has fixed ceiling prices for 131 scheduled anti-cancer formulations under DPCO 2013. 

Many newer drugs sit outside that list. For these non-scheduled medicines, regulators only watch that yearly price rises stay within 10 per cent. Nothing capped the margin added on the way to the shelf. 

When NPPA studied market data, the gap was startling. Non-scheduled anti-cancer drugs carried an average mark-up of about 170%, and some reached 700% or more.

The 30% Rule Now Rewriting India’s Cancer Drug Prices

The government capped trade margins at 30% of MRP for 137 non-scheduled anti-cancer drugs, with prices expected to fall by up to 70% from November 9, 2026. The cap applies to branded and generic, imported and domestic, patented and off-patent drugs, according to the government release.

NPPA has published revised MRPs for 543 brands, covering breast, prostate, colon, ovarian and cervical cancers, plus immunotherapy and supportive care. The government estimates yearly savings of ₹2,500 crore.

The 30% cap reaches branded and generic drugs alike, patented or not. See how these drug types differ in development cost and pricing, and why that gap decides what patients pay.
→ Read: Branded vs. Generic vs. Biosimilar Drugs Explained

Five Brands, Five Big Drops

Here is how the cuts look on five brands, with the percentage fall calculated from NPPA’s published prices.

Price fall on five cancer drug brands from Nov 9, 2026 (%)

Fall in MRP (%) by Brand

Use the arrow keys to move between data points

The headline promise is “up to 70%.” Several of these brands fall further. The size of each cut depends on how large the old margin was.

India Did This Before, and the Results Were Huge

In February 2019, NPPA capped margins on 42 non-scheduled anti-cancer drugs. MRPs fell by up to 91% across 526 brands, with reported yearly savings of ₹984 crore.

The new move builds on that experience, but it is much wider in scope.

Even the Supreme Court Sounded the Alarm

Pressure to go wider has built for months. A Parliamentary committee held several meetings on cancer drug prices. The Supreme Court described the prices as “broad daylight dacoity.”

The Catch: What If Cancer Drugs Vanish From the Shelf?

Price control only works if medicines stay available. In June, NPPA used Paragraph 19 of DPCO 2013 to allow a one-time 50% rise in ceiling prices for cisplatin and carboplatin. The reason was a surge in raw material costs that had caused shortages.

The government has asked manufacturers to maintain current production levels under the new cap. Affordability and supply have to move together

5 Questions Everyone Is Asking About Cancer Drug Prices

1. What is NPPA?

The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority fixes and monitors medicine prices under DPCO 2013.

2. Which cancer drugs does the 30% cap cover?

It covers 137 non-scheduled anti-cancer drugs. NPPA has issued revised MRPs for 543 brands, and the list is still being updated.

3. When do the new prices start?

From November 9, 2026, at retail pharmacies and hospitals.

4. How much cheaper will cancer drugs get?

The government says up to 70%. Among the five brands above, falls range from about 61% to 90%.

5. Will the cap cause shortages?

Manufacturers must maintain current production levels. Regulators have shown they will adjust prices when supply is at risk, as in the June platinum drug case.

The mark-up was always there. Now, for 137 cancer drugs, it has a ceiling.