New Delhi, Sept. 23 -- The Supreme Court on Tuesday questioned a 10-fold disparity in the price of an essential cancer drug, with the medicine sold to retailers for Rs.2,700 but reaching consumers at Rs.27,000, and asked the authorities why they had failed to act.

A bench of justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, hearing petitions on drug pricing and regulation of generic medicines, said such a disparity amounted to "dacoity" and raised concerns over the burden on patients forced to sell homes and jewellery to afford treatment.

"We wonder how a patient can be cheated for an essential cancer drug. We know of a cancer drug which the manufacturer sells at a price to retailers (PTR) of Rs.2,700 which is then sold in the market for Rs.27,00...