Why Cancer medicines may cost less from Nov 9: Full list of drugs, drop in MRP—Patients could save ₹2,500-3,500/year

The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) reduced the maximum retail price of 543 anti-cancer medicines across brands with effect from 9 November 2026, according to an official release from the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Department of Pharmaceuticals.

“The revised price list reflects the information submitted by companies up to 27 October and it will be updated as and when manufacturers submit their revised prices of non-scheduled anti-cancer drugs,” the statement read.

A number of key anti-cancer brands are set to see steep price drops, as per the release. Notably, this comes after the NPPA on 17 October said it would enforce trade margin rationalisation (TMR) of 137 non-scheduled anti-cancer drugs in public interest.

The aim is to “make cancer treatment more affordable and improve access to anti-cancer medicines”, it said.

Manufacturers were instructed to submit their revised list to NPPA. The 137 non-scheduled anti-cancer drugs include immunotherapy medicines used in the treatment of over 20 types of cancer, Denosumab used by breast and prostate cancer patients, Pegfilgrastim used to prevent neutropenia in cancer patients, and Bevacizumab, which is approved for the treatment of colon, ovarian and cervical cancers, the report added.

According to NPPA, the anti-cancer drug market in India comprises about 225 drugs and 500 formulations. The annual market turnover is near ₹12,500 crore. It estimates that patients will save ₹2,500-3,500 crore annually out-of-pocket spending after these price cuts, Mint reported on 27 October, citing two officials and a government document reviewed.

• The biggest cut is for thiotepa, a chemotherapy injection used before stem cell transplants and to treat bladder cancer. The MRP for a 100 mg vial of Samtepa has been slashed by ₹72,921.53 (91.1%) from ₹80,071.86 to ₹7,150.33.
• Further, in percentage terms, breast cancer drug palbociclib saw the sharpest drop — 93.3%, where a pack of 21 Palbopro 125 mg capsules will cost ₹2,720 from ₹40,421.33 (difference of ₹37,701.33).
• Pertuzumab, prescribed for HER2-positive breast cancer, saw the retail price of its Hertumab formulation fall by ₹64,358 per vial, dropping from ₹94,951 to ₹30,593.
• Another Pertuzumab brand, Lupiher 420 mg, saw a reduction of ₹46,161.65, taking its price from ₹83,520 to ₹37,358.35 per vial.

• Bevacizumab, a biological therapy prescribed for metastatic colorectal cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, cervical cancer, and ovarian tumours also had MRP cuts. The Ivzumab 400 mg injection saw a price drop of ₹56,340.12, coming down from ₹69,852.12 to ₹13,512.
• And Bevacizab 400 mg fell by ₹56,248.34, taking its retail price from ₹65,205.09 down to ₹8,956.75.
• Cizumab 400 mg was reduced by ₹47,605, dropping from ₹57,816 to ₹10,211.
• Olaparib tablets, used in BRCA-mutated ovarian, breast, and pancreatic cancers, saw the Brcaone 150 mg pack fall by ₹34,790.37, dropping from ₹46,364.05 to ₹11,573.68.
• Peg L-Aparagin, an injectable formulation of Pegasparginase used to treat acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, was reduced by ₹34,079.12, from ₹41,845.97 to ₹7,766.85.

• For metastatic prostate cancer, Abiraterone acetate tablets sold under the brand Abirat 250 mg fell by ₹32,024.33, reducing the price of a 120-tablet bottle from ₹36,088.81 down to ₹4,064.48.
• The price cuts also include reduction in MRP of 4 ml vial of Abbott Healthcare's Bevazicab from ₹21,767.70 to ₹5,930.1.
• For 5 ml vial of RPG Life Sciences' Fullbreca from ₹26,072.16 to ₹5,491.
• For Hetero Healthcare's FLUDANOX vial from ₹14,235 to ₹2,432.
• For RPG Life Sciences' Debrumab 60 mg (1 ml PFS) from ₹22,031.25 to ₹5,941.
• RPG Life Sciences' Enuta (pack of 28 capsules) has been reduced from ₹6,578.20 to ₹2,232.0.
• Dr Reddy's Laboratories's Azacytin (pack of 1) has been revised downwards from ₹6,337.00 to ₹1,495.0,
• And Natco Pharma's Dasanat 20 (pack of 60 tablets) will now cost ₹1,085.9, down from ₹2,812.50, the official release noted.

(With inputs from PTI)

Jocelyn Fernandes is a journalist and editor with nearly 13 years of experience covering the business, corporate, economy and markets beats in news.<br> As chief content producer for around three years at Livemint (Hindustan Times), Jocelyn publishes breaking stories, explainers, features and live blogs on a range of business and economy topics, including the Budget, corporate developments, stock markets, income tax, money and personal finance, cryptocurrency, government policy, impact of US tariffs, international developments and more.<br> Jocelyn's writing philosophy is focused on delivering news in an accurate and accessible format for readers. She thus focuses her news coverage on explainers and FAQs in order to breakdown business, corporate, economic, and policy topics that are of importance to everyday readers.<br> She holds a Bachelors in Mass Media (BMM) and Post Graduate Diploma (PGD) in Journalism and Communication and has previously written for online business and markets news site Moneycontrol (Network18), Business-to-business (B2B) trade publications — the industry magazines Power Today and Solar Today (ASAPP Media), and the national news agency United News of India (UNI).<br> Outside of work, Jocelyn keeps up-to-date with local and international news, enjoys reading fiction books, novels and short stories, and enjoys movies, travelling and art. <br> She can be found on X and LinkedIn, and reached by email: <a href="jocelyn.fernandes@htdigital.in">jocelyn.fernandes@htdigital.in</a> <br> X/ Twitter handle: <a href="https://x.com/scribeJocelyn">@scribeJocelyn</a> <br> LinkedIn: <a href="https://in.linkedin.com/in/jocelyn-fernandes-journalist">LinkedIn</a>

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