Lok Sabha Question No. 327 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-02-03
Subject: Medicines for Cancer Patients
Ministry: CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS
Asked by: Debasree Chaudhuri

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CHEMICALS & FERTILIZERS DEPARTMENT OF PHARMACEUTICALS

LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 327 TO BE ANSWERED ON 03 rd  February, 2023

## Medicines for Cancer Patients

## 327. MS. DEBASREE CHAUDHURI:

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

- (a) whether the Government is aware that there is increasing number of cancer patients in the country year after year and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) 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 has issued notification of certain medicines for cancer in the schedule and put price capping on the said medicines and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) the details of action taken/proposed to be 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?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF CHEMICALS & FERTILIZERS (SHRI BHAGWANTH KHUBA)

(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 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). The Ministry of Health and Family  Welfare  notified  the  NLEM,  2022  on  13.09.2022.  Accordingly,  Department  of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) has notified Revised Schedule-I of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013  (DPCO, 2013) on  11.11.2022.   NLEM,  2022  incorporates  47  Anti-Cancer  medicines comprising of 85 formulations which are included in Schedule-I of DPCO, 2013. NPPA has fixed the ceiling prices of 43 anti-cancer formulation under NLEM, 2022 till 26.01.2023.

Further, the NPPA, vide order S.O. 1041(E) dated 27 th 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.  DPCO, 2013 provide for deposition of overcharge amount by the manufacturers in case of default in implementing the provisions of the Order.

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