Question : Medicines for Cancer Patients

Will the Minister of CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government is aware about increasing number of cancer patients in the country especially among the lower and lower middle sections of the population;
(b) if so, the steps taken to ensure availability of medicines for cancer patients at cheaper rates;
(c) whether the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority has notified certain medicines for cancer and put a cap on the price, if so, the details thereof; and
(d) the steps taken by the Government to ensure that the cancer medicines are manufactured at large scale by drug companies and distributed at cheaper rates to poor patients and if so, the details thereof?

(a): As per the report of the National Cancer Registry Programme (NCRP) of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare for the year 2020, the annual figures of estimated incidence and mortality of cancer cases are as under:

Year 2017 2018 2019
Estimated incidence of cancer cases 12,92,534 13,25,232 13,58,415
Estimated mortality of cancer cases 7,15,010 7,33,139 7,51,517

The projected number of incidences of cancer cases in the country for the year 2025 is 15.7 lakhs.

(b) and (c): National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) under the Department of Pharmaceuticals has fixed the ceiling prices of 86 anti-cancer scheduled formulations under the National List of Essential Medicines, 2015 (NLEM, 2015). Further, the NPPA, vide order S.O. 1041(E) dated 27th February, 2019 has put a cap on Trade Margin of 42 select non-scheduled anti-cancer medicines under ‘Trade Margin Rationalization’ Approach. By this approach, the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) of 526 brands of these medicines have been reduced by up to 90%. This move has resulted in annual savings of around Rs. 984 crore to the patients. The details of revised prices are available on the website of the NPPA, i.e., nppaindia.nic.in.

(d): The government ensures that the scheduled drugs for cancer are not sold above their ceiling price fixed by NPPA and non-scheduled drugs do not avail increase in MRP beyond 10 percent in preceding 12 months. Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013 (DPCO, 2013) provide for deposition of overcharge amount by the manufacturers in case of default in implementing the provisions of the Order. Further, in order to ensure adequate availability and regulate the distribution of drugs, the extant provisions of the DPCO provides for issuance of directions to manufacturers of scheduled formulations and Active Pharmaceuticals Ingredients (APIs) contained in the scheduled formulation to increase their production in case of emergency or in circumstances of urgency, in public interest.

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