NPPA Directs Price Cuts On 17 Cancer Drugs After Customs Duty Waiver

Days after the Union Budget slashed customs duty on the import of several high-value cancer medicines, India’s drug price regulator has directed pharmaceutical companies to cut prices, underscoring that tax relief must translate into tangible savings for patients.

In a communication issued this week, the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority asked manufacturers and marketing firms dealing with 17 notified medicines to revise their maximum retail prices and report compliance to the regulator.

The instruction follows a notification by the Union Ministry of Finance granting exemption from basic customs duty (BCD) on the additional drugs. With the latest inclusion, the total number of medicines enjoying the exemption has risen to 129.

Presenting the Union Budget for 2026–27, Nirmala Sitharaman had announced that the step was aimed at easing the financial stress of people, particularly those undergoing cancer treatment. Many of the therapies on the list are innovative, patented products that can cost families several lakh rupees each month.

Among the medicines covered are ribociclib, abemaciclib, talycabtagene autoleucel, tremelimumab, venetoclax, ceritinib, brigatinib, darolutamide, toripalimab, serplulimab, tislelizumab, inotuzumab ozogamicin, ponatinib, ibrutinib, dabrafenib, trametinib, and ipilimumab.

Citing provisions of the Drugs Prices Control Order, the Authority reminded companies that retail prices are deemed to include applicable taxes and duties. Therefore, any reduction in levies must be passed on to consumers.

“All manufacturers and marketing companies selling the notified formulations are required to revise the MRP on account of the exemption of customs duty,” said the drug price regulator in a latest communication to all manufacturers and marketing companies for compliance.

It added that firms must submit revised details in Form V and circulate updated price lists to dealers, State drug controllers, and government agencies.

“Information about the revision is required to be submitted through Form V, and the manufacturers shall issue a price list or supplementary price list to the dealers, State Drugs Controllers, and the government indicating changes,” said the order signed by Rashmi Tahiliani, Director (Pricing).

Several of the products are widely used targeted therapies. Ribociclib is sold by Novartis, while abemaciclib is marketed by Eli Lilly. Talycabtagene autoleucel, an advanced CAR-T therapy developed in India, comes from ImmunoACT.

Other global majors also feature prominently. Tremelimumab is supplied by AstraZeneca. Venetoclax and ibrutinib are associated with AbbVie. Ceritinib is linked to Novartis, whereas brigatinib and ponatinib are connected to Takeda Pharmaceuticals. Darolutamide is from Bayer.

Toripalimab is marketed domestically by Dr. Reddy's Laboratories. Serplulimab has been introduced in partnership with Intas Pharmaceuticals. Tislelizumab is distributed by Glenmark Pharma. Inotuzumab ozogamicin is sold by Pfizer, while ipilimumab comes from Bristol Myers Squibb. Dabrafenib and trametinib are also linked to Novartis. Generic versions of a few molecules are available, though many remain under patent protection.

In recent years, import duty waivers have become a recurring instrument through which the government seeks to convey relief to patients confronting the soaring price of specialised treatments.

But health advocacy groups are not impressed, arguing that the impact remains negligible. They said the government understands the need to bring relief to cancer patients struggling on various fronts. But in actuality, these steps are not likely to help at the ground level.

“These steps offer only marginal respite and do not fundamentally change the reality for tens of thousands who remain priced out of life-saving therapy,” said Chetali Rao of Third World Network, which analysed the implications of the latest exemption.

According to the organisation, the withdrawal of customs duties does little to alter the market dynamics of patent-protected medicines. Even after tax reductions, prices frequently remain far beyond what most Indian households can sustain, particularly in the absence of robust competition or compulsory measures to moderate monopoly pricing.

Without broader structural action, the network argues, fiscal concessions risk appearing symbolic rather than transformative, leaving the central challenge of access unresolved, said the group. At the same time, Dr. Nitesh Rohatagi, Principal Director at Fortis Memorial Research Institute, emphasised that priority should have been given to providing relief for patients in the early stages of cancer. According to him, targeted support for those in the first and second stages of the disease could prevent families from falling into crippling debt, offering a chance to focus on treatment rather than financial survival.