India, Oct. 9 -- The central government has approved a 30% cap on margins charged on the supply and sale of non-scheduled anti-cancer medicines, a move it expects to reduce prices by up to 70% and help cancer patients save Rs.2,500 crore annually.

In a press release on Thursday, the Department of Pharmaceuticals said the measure would extend price protection to non-scheduled cancer medicines, which are currently outside the list of drugs subject to government-fixed ceiling prices.

Under the new mechanism, margins on these medicines will be limited to 30% of their maximum retail price (MRP).

The decision follows an analysis by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), which found that non-scheduled anti-cancer medicines carr...