HQ Team
March 29, 2023: India has put a cap on the trade margin of 42 selected non-scheduled anti-cancer medicines, including ribociclib, which is used to treat breast cancer.
The selected medicines come on the list of a government order dated February 27, 2019, under the Trade Margin Rationalization approach, Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar, the Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, stated in a written reply in the Upper House of the Parliament or Rajya Sabha.
The government’s order is on a “pilot basis,” she said. Trade Margin Rationalization is a mode of price regulation by way of capping trade margins in the supply chain. It can improve access and affordability.
India has taken several measures to encourage domestic manufacturing of pharmaceutical drugs, including its active pharmaceutical ingredients and bulk drugs, to boost domestic manufacturing.
The major programmatic interventions to support pharmaceutical industries include production-linked incentive schemes, unveiled in the 2020-21 fiscal year, for pharmaceuticals and bulk drugs.
The scheme provides a financial incentive to 55 selected applicants for manufacturing of approved eligible products under three categories, including anti-cancer drugs (Product Category – 3), for a period of six years.
One such drug is the manufacturing of the abemaciclib intermediate and ribociclib intermediate under the sub-category of active pharmaceutical ingredients, key starting materials and drug intermediates.
As per the Indian Council of Medical Research-National Cancer Registry Programme data, the estimated number of incidences of breast cancer in the country for the year 2022 is 21,6108.
Palbociclib, another great cancer drug, went off-patent on January 10 2023, according to the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization.
“Quality generic medicines are made available at affordable prices to all, under Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana in collaboration with the state governments.
“Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants for Treatment pharmacy stores have been set up in some hospitals and institutions, with an objective to make available cancer drugs at a substantial discount vis-à-vis the maximum retail price,” she said.
