India’s first statutory drug price controls emerged during the 1962 Sino-Indian War under the Defence of India Act, followed by price-control measures in 1963 and 1966. Image used for representational purposes only | Photo Credit: Getty Images A cancer medicine supplied to a retailer for ₹2,700 carries a maximum retail price (MRP) of ₹27,000.
Who accounts for this tenfold difference? This was among the examples highlighted by the Supreme Court in September 2026, when it questioned the gap between the prices paid for medicines and what patients ultimately pay.Subsequently, on October 17, the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) announced a 30% cap on trade margins for 137 anti-cancer drugs, effective from November 9.
This intervention could reduce prices substantially for some products. It also raises a broader question: how does India decide what medicines should cost?
Published - November 02, 2026 01:11 pm IST