Cancer Drug Prices Slashed By Up To 96% As New MRPs Kick In Across India

Representative image: medicines and capsules. (Photo: Abinoam Jr. / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0)

Cancer treatment in India has just become far more affordable for lakhs of families. Revised maximum retail prices (MRPs) for 1,364 anti-cancer drug formulations came into effect across the country on Monday, 9 November 2026, after the government capped the trade margins on 137 cancer medicines. The move is expected to save patients an estimated Rs 3,540.38 crore every year.

For families facing long and expensive treatment, the change could not have come sooner. Cancer drugs are among the costliest medicines in India, and many patients pay for them out of their own pockets. The new prices bring sharp relief, with some medicines now costing a fraction of what they did last week.

What Has Changed

The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), which works under the Department of Pharmaceuticals, has capped the trade margin on 137 anti-cancer drugs at 30 per cent of the MRP. The cap was introduced through a notification issued on 17 October 2026, based on the recommendations of an expert committee set up by the Directorate General of Health Services.

Following the order, 85 pharmaceutical companies have reported revised MRPs for 1,364 formulations covering 121 drugs. The new prices came into effect on 9 November, and no chemist or hospital pharmacy is allowed to charge more than the revised MRP printed on the pack.

How Big Are The Savings?

The numbers behind the price cut are striking. Of the 1,364 formulations revised, 679 brands have reported price reductions of more than 50 per cent. The steepest cut recorded is 96.45 per cent.

Some examples show just how dramatic the change is. The price of Palbociclib 125 mg capsules, sold as Palbopro and used in breast cancer treatment, has fallen from Rs 40,421.33 to Rs 2,720. Pertuzumab, another widely used cancer drug, has come down from around Rs 83,000 to about Rs 38,000.

The government estimates that patients across India will save around Rs 3,540.38 crore a year once the new prices are fully in force. The medicines covered include immunotherapy drugs used in more than 20 types of cancer, along with denosumab, pegfilgrastim and bevacizumab.

How The Price Cut Works

The price reduction targets the trade margin — the markup added as a drug moves from the manufacturer through distributors and retailers to the patient. In many cancer medicines, this margin had grown far beyond the cost of making the drug, pushing the final price out of reach for ordinary families.

By capping the margin at 30 per cent under the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013, the NPPA has forced the entire supply chain to pass the benefit on to patients. Companies were given time to submit revised price lists, and the new MRPs were published before they took effect on Monday.

What Patients Should Check

Patients and their families should check the revised MRP printed on the medicine pack before paying. Prices can also be verified through the government's Pharma Sahi Daam mobile application or on the NPPA website at nppa.gov.in. If a chemist charges more than the revised MRP, patients can report it to the NPPA.

The price cut applies to the formulations listed under the order, so families should confirm that their prescribed medicine is among the 1,364 formulations covered. Doctors and pharmacists can help patients check whether a cheaper revised price applies to their treatment.

A Step That Could Go Further

The cancer drug price cut is one of the biggest single relief measures for patients in recent years. It shows that targeted price regulation can bring down the cost of life-saving treatment without waiting for new laws or long negotiations.

The real test now is enforcement — making sure every pharmacy in every town actually sells at the new prices. If the government applies the same approach to other expensive medicines, from diabetes and heart drugs to rare-disease treatments, millions more families could benefit. Do you think price caps like this should be extended to other life-saving medicines? Tell us in the comments.