137 cancer drugs get cheaper from today: NPPA caps trade margins at 30%, cuts of 20–70% on 1,136 products

Revised prices on 137 anti-cancer medicines take effect today, 9 November 2026, after the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) capped the trade margin on them at 30% of the maximum retail price. By 4 November, 70 companies had reported new MRPs for 120 of the 137 drugs, covering 1,136 individual products, with reductions mostly between 20% and 70% and the largest single cut at 96.45%.

For a family paying for chemotherapy or immunotherapy out of pocket, this is the biggest price intervention on cancer drugs since 2019. The NPPA estimates the savings at ₹3,357 crore, calculated on last year's sales volumes.

What changed

The order, issued under paragraph 19 of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013 and notified in the Gazette on 17 October, limits the gap between the distributor price and the MRP to 30%. Until now these "non-scheduled" cancer drugs were outside direct price control, and retail margins on some ran far higher than that.

A drug already priced below the new ceiling cannot be made more expensive.

Which medicines are on the list

The list was recommended by an expert committee under the Directorate General of Health Services. It includes immunotherapies used across more than 20 cancer types and several widely prescribed targeted drugs:

• Pembrolizumab, durvalumab: immunotherapies for lung, head and neck and other cancers

• Osimertinib: targeted therapy for a common form of lung cancer

• Bevacizumab: colon, ovarian and cervical cancers

• Denosumab: bone complications in breast and prostate cancer

• Pegfilgrastim: prevents dangerously low white-cell counts during chemotherapy

The full list of 137 molecules is on the NPPA website.

What manufacturers and pharmacies must do

Manufacturers had seven days from the notification to report their revised prices to the NPPA, and must publish price lists on their websites and circulate them to retailers and hospitals. They cannot cut production of a covered drug without NPPA permission and must give notice before discontinuing one.

Retailers and hospital pharmacies are expected to sell at the revised MRP from today. The open question, raised by policy analysts, is how the NPPA will check compliance at the counter.

How to check the new price

1. Ask the pharmacy for the current MRP and compare it with the strip or vial label; old stock must be sold at the revised price.

2. Look up the medicine on the Pharma Sahi Daam app (Android and iOS) or the NPPA website, which list ceiling and revised prices.

3. If you are charged more than the listed MRP, keep the bill. Overcharging under the DPCO is recoverable with interest, and complaints go to the NPPA through its website.

Why this matters beyond cancer

The 2019 pilot capped margins on 42 cancer drugs and cut the MRPs of 526 brands by up to 90%. This order extends the same tool to 137 drugs and, for the first time, to patented medicines. The NPPA has signalled that trade-margin caps, rather than fixed ceiling prices, are its preferred route for expensive drugs outside the essential medicines list, so other therapy areas may follow.

FAQ

Are all cancer medicines cheaper from today? No. The cap covers 137 non-scheduled anti-cancer drugs. Medicines already under the essential medicines list have ceiling prices set separately.

My hospital still charged the old price. What can I do? Keep the bill and check the revised MRP on the Pharma Sahi Daam app. Report overcharging to the NPPA through its website; the overcharged amount is recoverable.

Does this apply to generic and branded versions? Yes. The cap applies to every brand, strength and combination of the 137 molecules.

Will prices drop by 70% on every drug? No. The cut depends on how large the margin was before. Reported reductions range from about 20% to 70%, with a few larger.