{
  "id": 13409273,
  "title": "NPPA directs health ministry to cap cancer drug profit margin to 30 pc: K'taka Minister",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/10/nppa-directs-health-ministry-to-cap-cancer-drug-profit-margin-to-30",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-10-10T12:29:32.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Hindustan Times",
    "slug": "hindustan-times",
    "url": "https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/nppa-directs-health-ministry-to-cap-cancer-drug-profit-margin-to-30-pc-k-taka-minister-101791635372778.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Karnataka Health Minister U T Khader announced on Saturday that the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has instructed the Union Health Ministry to restrict the profit margins of cancer medicines to 30 percent. Speaking at a press conference, Khader hailed this as a historic day, stating that the health department's efforts to alleviate patient suffering are starting to bear fruit.\n\nThe NPPA has mandated the health ministry to submit a list of cancer medicines along with their profit margins by October 14, which should not exceed 30 percent, Khader said. The minister emphasized that prior to this, most medicine packages only displayed the maximum retail price, leaving consumers with limited insight into the true costs involved.\n\nImplementing a 30 percent cap could significantly lower the prices of expensive cancer medicines. For instance, some medicines now sold at ₹25,000 could drop to around ₹18,000, while an injection that costs ₹5,000 could be reduced to approximately ₹3,500. Cancer treatment often necessitates multiple injections, sometimes 10 or 12, leading to treatment costs sometimes exceeding several lakhs of rupees.\n\nBy regulating these prices, out-of-pocket expenditures for cancer patients could potentially decrease by approximately ₹2,500 crore. Khader expressed confidence that the Union health department will adhere to the NPPA's directives.\n\nBeyond cancer medicines, the Karnataka government plans to regulate expensive medical equipment used in treating other serious conditions like heart disease and kidney ailments. This could indirectly benefit patients by reducing overall treatment costs. However, Khader stressed the need for transparency while preventing manufacturers from suffering unjust losses and ensuring patients are not exploited by exorbitant profit margins.\n\nIn 2022, Khader wrote to the Union health minister expressing concerns over the high prices of cancer medicines and requesting measures to bring them under the national drug price regulation framework. This effort, combined with the transparency provided by Karnataka's Food and Drug Safety Department, is now paying dividends. The department recently compiled detailed information on around 253 cancer medicines, including their manufacturing and selling costs, which was subsequently made public.\n\nKarnataka's initiative has also highlighted challenges in regulating companies with national licenses, particularly when it comes to detecting and addressing irregularities or counterfeit products. Khader called for a national-level meeting with officials from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India to address this issue, as it affects all states.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "NPPA to submit cancer medicine list with profit margins by October 14, no exceed 30%",
    "30% cap could lower cancer medicine prices by up to ₹2,500 crore for patients"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}