Pariksha SaathiNPPA caps trade margins at 30% on 137 anti-cancer drugs; reduced prices from 9 November 2026
The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has capped trade margins at 30 per cent of the maximum retail price (MRP) on 137 non-scheduled anti-cancer drugs under Paragraph 19 of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013, by a Gazette notification dated 17 October 2026, with revised prices effective from 9 November 2026. The Department of Pharmaceuticals said the Trade Margin Rationalisation is expected to bring MRPs down by up to 70 per cent, depending on existing price structures; the list, recommended by an Expert Committee under the Directorate General of Health Services and to be updated periodically, includes immunotherapy drugs, Denosumab, Pegfilgrastim and Bevacizumab, and is expected to make drugs such as Pembrolizumab, Durvalumab and Osimertinib more accessible. It extends NPPA's 2019 pilot, which capped margins on 42 anti-cancer drugs at 30 per cent and cut the MRP of 526 brands by up to 90 per cent. Manufacturers must report revised prices within 7 days of the notification and maintain production and supply, retailers and hospitals must charge and display the reduced prices, and consumers can check them on the Pharma Sahi Daam app and the NPPA website.
Drafted with AI assistance from the official PIB release linked above and checked against it by a second AI pass. Not line-edited by a human.
Learning context
The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) was set up on 29 August 1997 as an attached office of the then Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals; it has been with the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, since July 2008. Its functions include implementing and enforcing the Drugs (Prices Control) Order and advising the Central Government on drug policy, and it is based in New Delhi.
Reference: Department of Pharmaceuticals, NPPA page
Check yourself: from what date must retailers and hospitals charge the reduced prices?
From 9 November 2026. Manufacturers must inform NPPA of the revised prices within 7 days of the Gazette notification, and hospitals must also display the new prices on their websites.
Revision task: from this release, note the number of drugs, the 30 per cent cap, the legal provision, the effective date and the 2019 pilot figures, and keep them apart from the standing facts about NPPA above.
Test yourself
Under the Trade Margin Rationalisation notified on 17 October 2026, trade margins on 137 anti-cancer drugs are capped at what share of the MRP?
Show the answer
Answer: 30 per cent
NPPA capped the trade margin at 30 per cent of the MRP under Paragraph 19 of the DPCO, 2013; the MRPs themselves are expected to fall by up to 70 per cent.
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