India Caps Trade Margins on 137 Cancer Drugs, Cutting Prices by Up to 70%
India's drug pricing authority has capped trade margins on 137 life-saving cancer medicines at 30%, a move expected to slash retail prices by as much as 70% and save patients an estimated ₹2,500 crore a year.
India's National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority announced on 17 October 2026 that trade margins on 137 specified anti-cancer medicines would be capped at 30% of the maximum retail price, with the change taking effect on 9 November. The Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers said retail prices for some drugs could fall by up to 70%, generating estimated annual savings of around ₹2,500 crore for patients nationwide. The list covers immunotherapies for more than 20 types of cancer, including widely used drugs such as pembrolizumab, durvalumab, osimertinib and bevacizumab, as well as denosumab for certain breast and prostate cancers and pegfilgrastim to prevent neutropenia. The move responds to long-standing concerns that high distributor and retailer markups — sometimes adding hundreds of percent on top of the manufacturer's price — place cancer treatment out of reach for many Indian families. The NPPA's approach targets the supply chain rather than the manufacturer's price, making it possible to reduce patient costs without requiring pharmaceutical companies to lower their ex-factory prices. Patient advocacy groups and oncologists welcomed the announcement as a landmark step toward affordable cancer care in the country.
