Govt Slashes Prices Of 137 Cancer Drugs By Up To 96%: What Patients Need To Know?

The government has capped trade margins at 30% on 137 non-scheduled anti-cancer medicines, bringing major relief to cancer patients across India. Effective November 9, the revised prices are expected to reduce medicine costs, with reported price cuts ranging from around 20% to 70% on average and the steepest reduction reaching 96.45%. Business Today’s Neetu Chandra Sharma explains how the move aims to curb excessive markups across manufacturers, distributors and pharmacies. Based on FY26 sales volumes, the intervention is estimated to save patients around ₹3,557 crore annually, making several life-saving cancer treatments more affordable.