‘Broad daylight dacoity’, says Supreme Court on overpricing of essential cancer drugs
‘It is very surprising that the authorities who are supposed to take action on this are silent,’ says Bench
The Supreme Court, in a recent ruling on September 22, 2026, described the situation surrounding the overpricing of essential cancer drugs as a "broad daylight dacoity" against patients. The court expressed shock over the exorbitant prices, with one drug having a printed MRP (Maximum Retail Price) of ₹27,000, while the retailers were only charged ₹2,700.
The justices, Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, were dismayed by the tenfold difference between the MRP and the PTR, questioning how such pricing could be considered anything other than extortion. The court emphasized the dire consequences for patients who often have to sell their assets to afford treatment. The Bench also questioned the manner in which patients were being cheated by this system.
The issue of prescription of generic medicines by registered medical practitioners was also raised by one of the petitioners, highlighting the critical importance of setting appropriate MRP for medicines. The Centre, represented by Additional Solicitor General K.M. Nataraj, stated that the government was not treating the issue as adversarial litigation.
The court stated that price fixation was a major concern, and the matter was posted for further hearing on September 29, 2026. The first petition sought a direction for authorities to make drug formulations more cost-effective by preventing unethical overpricing by pharma companies and retailers, as well as strict price control under the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013.
The second plea sought disciplinary action against medical practitioners for not prescribing generic medicines.
Written by urgent.news from The Hindu's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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