Cancer, HIV drugs get cheaper

The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has slashed prices of 24 medicines used in the treatment of cancer, HIV, bacterial infection, anxiety and heart diseases.

NPPA chairman Bhupendra Singh said: “The prices of 24 drugs have been reduced on an average of 25%. In some cases, the reduction is 10-15%, while for others it is up to 30-35%.”

The NPPA made the announcements in two separate notifications under the Drugs (Price Control) Amendment Order, 2016. It has also capped the retail price of 31 formulations under the Drug Price



Control Order, 2013.

The list includes anti-cancer drugs like Melphalan (2mg) and Melphalan (5mg) that are indicated for the treatment of multiple myeloma (a type of blood cancer), cancer of the ovaries and breast cancer. Chlorambucil (2mg), another tablet used to slow the growth of certain cancer cells in the body, also figures in the list.

The drug pricing watchdog also revised the ceiling prices of antiretroviral drugs Zidovudine (300mg), Lamivudine (150mg) and Zidovudine (300mg) combination, which are used to treat HIV/AIDS.