People in the country should continue to get essential medicines at cheap prices. For this the government controls the prices of medicines. Now the government has given big relief to cancer patients just before Diwali. Due to this, the MRP of three major medicines used in the treatment of cancer is going to decrease. The government has also given orders for this.
The work of controlling the prices of essential medicines in the country is done by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA). Now NPPA has directed to reduce the MRP (Maximum Retail Price) of three medicines used in cancer treatment, Trastuzumab, Osimertinib and Durvalumab.
Of these, trastuzumab is used in the treatment of breast cancer, while osimertinib is used in the treatment of lung cancer and durvalumab is used in the treatment of both types of cancer.
Commitment to provide medicines at affordable prices
While reducing the prices of these cancer medicines, the government has said that it is its commitment to ensure that the common people continue to get essential medicines at low prices. Therefore, NPPA has given instructions to reduce the maximum price of medicines. Recently, the GST rate on these medicines has been reduced, while the custom duty on these medicines was also abolished in the Union Budget 2024-25.
Therefore, the government says that the effect of tax cuts should also be visible on the price of medicines. Therefore, now the government has ordered to reduce their MRP. The Revenue Department of the Finance Ministry has already abolished the custom duty on these medicines.
New prices came into effect from October 10
The government has recently reduced the GST rate on these medicines from 12 percent to 5 percent. Therefore, the companies had to reduce its MRP from October 10, 2024 itself, because its new MRP will be considered effective from that day. Producers have also been instructed to reduce the MRP and inform the dealers, state drug controllers and the government about the price change.
According to a study by Lancet, the number of cancer patients in India has increased to more than 14 lakh. There is a trend of increase every year. It was 13.9 lakh in the year 2020, which increased to 14.2 lakh in 2021, while in 2022 their number reached 14.6 lakh.
