Lok Sabha Question No. 3261 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-12-17
Subject: Medicine for Cancer Patients
Ministry: CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS
Asked by: Poonam (Mahajan) Vajendla Rao, A. Ganeshamurthi, Gowdar Mallikarjunappa Siddeshwara, Jayanta Kumar Roy

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

LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3261

TO BE ANSWERED ON 17 th  DECEMBER, 2021

## Medicine for Cancer Patients

## 3261.   SHRIMATI POONAM MAHAJAN:

SHRI A. GANESHAMURTHI:

SHRI G.M. SIDDESHWAR:

DR. JAYANTA KUMAR ROY:

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 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?

## ANSWER

## 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  27 th February,  2019  has  put  a  cap  on  Trade  Margin  of  42  select  nonscheduled  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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