NPPA Revises MRP of 543 Anti-Cancer Medicine Brands

The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has put out a fresh list of maximum retail prices for 543 brands of anti-cancer medicines. The lower rates must be charged from 9 November 2026. NPPA works under the Department of Pharmaceuticals in the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, and it is the body that fixes and watches medicine prices in India.

What the list contains

The price list carries the figures that drug companies filed with the regulator up to 27 October 2026. NPPA has said the list is not closed: brands will keep being added as manufacturers report fresh rates for non-scheduled anti-cancer drugs, and the portal is refreshed as those filings arrive. The complete brand-wise list has been placed on the NPPA portal, where patients, chemists and hospitals can check what a pack should cost.

Why the prices fell

On 17 October 2026 the regulator ordered Trade Margin Rationalisation for 137 non-scheduled anti-cancer drugs. It was done in public interest, to cut the wide trade margins loaded on to these medicines, bring down the cost of cancer treatment and widen access to it. Manufacturers were then told to file revised rates, and the list published now is the outcome of that exercise. Several injections on it have fallen to roughly a quarter or a fifth of what they used to cost on the shelf.

Which medicines are covered

The 137 drugs take in immunotherapy medicines used against more than 20 kinds of cancer. Denosumab is given to breast and prostate cancer patients. Pegfilgrastim is used to stop neutropenia in people under cancer treatment. Bevacizumab is approved for colon, ovarian and cervical cancer. Other molecules whose brands appear on the revised list include Anastrozole, Azacitidine, Dasatinib, Enzalutamide, Erlotinib, Fludarabine and Fulvestrant. The brands belong to firms such as RPG Life Sciences, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, Abbott Healthcare, Natco Pharma, Neon Laboratories and Hetero Healthcare, and they are sold as tablets, capsules, vials and pre-filled syringes.

Why it matters

Cancer care runs for months and the medicine bill is the heaviest part of it for most households. A ceiling on the trade margin pulls the shelf price closer to the rate at which the maker sells, so the saving reaches the patient instead of staying in the distribution chain.