India, Oct. 21 -- The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) on October 17 capped the trade margin at 30% of the maximum retail price (MRP), excluding goods and services tax (GST), for 137 cancer drugs with no price ceiling, with revised prices to apply from November 9, according to an order described in the document. The cap covers what distributors, chemists and hospitals can add to the price, while leaving the price charged by manufacturers unchanged.
Scope of the cap and selected drugs
An expert committee under the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) selected the 137 drugs, after the health ministry set up the committee on October 9 with oncologists, hospital experts and government officials.
The list includes the...