The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) will soon notify prices of nearly 150 packs of essential medicines in line with the new pharma pricing policy. Once announced, some key cancer drugs, antibiotics and medicines to treat cardiovascular diseases and tuberculosis will become cheaper by up to 50 percent within 45 days of notification, reports said quoting official sources.
Once the new price notification is announced, the maximum retail prices (MRPs) of many cancer drugs will fall 10-30 per cent on an average, some even 50 percent. Similarly, prices of cardiovascular drugs will come down 20-30 percent, while anti-hypertension medicines will become cheaper by 15-30 percent. The prices of antibiotics will also come down to 15-50 per cent, depending on strength," the official said.
These prices are calculated on the basis of the Drug Price Control Order (DPCO), 2013, recently notified by the government in line with the new pharma pricing policy cleared by the government last year. DPCO mandates NPPA to cap prices of 348 essential medicines based on an arithmetic average of all drugs in a particular segment that have market share of more than one per cent. However, the drugs currently priced below the cap would not be allowed to hike prices to match the cap. This is significant as the new formula does not allow prices to go up from the current level.
This will be the first set of price notification by the regulator and the next lot will be notified within 15-20 day, the official said.
The new drug pricing policy includes price regulation of 652 packs of 348 essential medicines. The official clarified new prices would be notified only for those additional drugs that now enter the scheduled category, whereas those already under price control could be sold at the existing MRP for one year.
Firms like GlaxoSmithKline, Cipla, Ranbaxy, Dr. Reddy's Labs and Abbott, which are currently selling these essential medicines, will have 45 days from the date of notification to replace the existing stock with new packs carrying revised MRPs.
We will do regular surveillance of market. If a company is found not complying with the new norm, it will be penalized for overcharging consumers," the official added.
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
Business News
June 05, 2026 16:18 ET A busy week for economic news flow saw a slew of reports being released that reflected the trends in the U.S. labor market. In Europe, economic growth and inflation data gained attention as the European Central Bank and Bank of England head for policy session later in the month. In Asia, the monetary policy session of the Indian central bank was in focus as the country, a major oil importer, reels under the pressures of a weaker rupee and rising inflation.