Cancer drugs get cheaper; ₹3,540 cr relief expected

Faced with a dire prognosis, Neeta Kumar, a 45-year-old homemaker from Noida, chose aggressive breast cancer treatment even though the cost would devastate her financially. The immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab, sold as Keytruda by MSD, is highly effective for 18 types of cancer but comes with a steep price tag of Rs 2.17 lakh per vial.

Despite the government imposing a 30% trade margin cap, the price of pembrolizumab remained unchanged, leaving Kumar's family to grapple with a treatment bill of around Rs 20 lakh. Kumar's brother, who has health insurance, laments the unfair policies of hospitals, stating that even for wealthier families, such exorbitant costs are untenable.

Similarly, 59-year-old lung cancer patient Paresh Shah, who has comprehensive health insurance, still faces significant out-of-pocket expenses for his immunotherapy treatment. Majida MA, a 49-year-old lawyer from Kerala battling breast cancer, had hoped that the latest price control intervention would reduce the cost of her medication, but the 30% trade margin cap has had little impact on the prohibitive prices of her treatments.

The government's attempt to make cancer medicines more affordable has fallen short, with only a few formulations experiencing significant price reductions. The disparity between the availability of these life-saving therapies and their unaffordable prices highlights the urgent need for more effective and comprehensive solutions.