Question : Medicine for Cancer Patients

(a) whether the Government is aware that there is increasing number of cancer patients in the country year after year and especially amongst the lower and lower middle income sections of the society;
(b) if so, whether medicines for cancer are available at cheaper rates and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
(c) whether the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority issued notification of certain medicines for cancer in the schedule, and put price capping, if so, the details thereof; and
(d) the details of action taken by the Government to ensure that medicines for cancer are manufactured in large scale by drug companies and made available/ distributed at affordable rates?

MINISTER IN THE MINISTRY OF CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS
(Dr. MANSUKH MANDAVIYA)

(a): As per the latest 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

Further, the projected number of incidences of cancer cases in the country for the year 2025 is about 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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