Cancer drugs to get cheaper in India from November 9: Full list of 137 medicines and how much you could actually save

From November 9, 2026, revised MRPs will apply to 137 identified non-scheduled anti-cancer drugs in India. The policy is designed to make treatment more affordable by limiting trade margins across the distribution and retail chain. The ministry expects the MRP of covered medicines to fall by up to 70%, depending on their existing price structures.

The change includes immunotherapy drugs and medicines used for breast, prostate, colon, ovarian and cervical cancers. For example, the ministry specifically named Pembrolizumab, Durvalumab and Osimertinib as widely used drugs whose prices are expected to become more accessible. The revised price is calculated using the March 2026 price to stockist or distributor.

Retailers and hospitals must charge the reduced prices from November 9 and display them. Manufacturers must notify the NPPA within seven days of the Gazette notification and publish revised price lists. Consumers can check the new prices through the Pharma Sahi Daam app and the NPPA website.

Trade Margin Rationalisation, or TMR, is a pricing measure that controls excessive margins earned while medicines move through distribution and retail channels. It matters because a medicine can become much more expensive before reaching a patient, even when its underlying price is lower. The policy seeks to reduce that gap while safeguarding legitimate manufacturer revenues.

For the covered anti-cancer drugs, the trade margin is capped at 30% of the maximum retail price. The official formula uses the March 2026 price to stockist or price to distributor, then applies the permitted margin structure and adds applicable GST. The formula is MRP = PTS or PTD × {1 + [TM ÷ (100 − TM)]} + GST.

A 30% cap does not mean every drug will receive a 30% discount. It sets the maximum allowable trade margin. The final reduction depends on the medicine’s existing price structure. The ministry expects some MRPs to fall by as much as 70%.

A total of 137 non-scheduled anti-cancer drugs are covered by the new Trade Margin Rationalisation measure. This is a broad group rather than a single treatment category. It includes immunotherapy medicines used for treating more than 20 types of cancer, along with drugs used in several major cancer settings.

The ministry identified Denosumab, used by breast and prostate cancer patients, and Pegfilgrastim, used to prevent neutropenia in cancer patients. Bevacizumab is also included and is approved for treating colon, ovarian and cervical cancer. The ministry separately named Pembrolizumab, Durvalumab and Osimertinib as widely used anti-cancer drugs expected to become more accessible.

The revised prices will apply from November 9, 2026. The article does not provide a separate price for each medicine. Instead, each covered product’s maximum revised MRP will be worked out from its March 2026 price to stockist or distributor, with the trade margin limited to 30% and applicable GST added.

The ministry expects the identified non-scheduled anti-cancer drugs to become up to 70% cheaper, depending on their existing price structures. That is a maximum expected reduction, not a uniform discount for every medicine. Actual savings will depend on the product’s March 2026 price to stockist or distributor and its earlier MRP.

The article gives a clear example. A non-scheduled anti-cancer formulation has a current MRP of ₹300 plus applicable GST, while its PTS or PTD is ₹70. Using a 30% trade margin, the formula gives ₹70 × {1 + [30 ÷ (100 − 30)]} = ₹100 plus applicable GST. The revised amount is therefore ₹200 lower before GST.

This example represents a reduction of about two-thirds before GST, but it is not presented as the expected saving for every drug. The revised MRP must be charged from November 9, 2026. Patients can verify individual prices through the Pharma Sahi Daam app or NPPA website.

The NPPA has capped the trade margin at 30% of MRP under Paragraph 19 of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013. Manufacturers must inform the NPPA of revised prices within seven days of the Gazette notification. They must also publish price lists on their websites and widely share them with retailers and hospitals.

Retailers and hospitals must charge the reduced prices from November 9, 2026, and display the revised prices in their pharmacies. Hospitals must also prominently publish those prices on their websites. These instructions are intended to make the new MRPs visible at the point of purchase and reduce confusion for patients and families.

Consumers can use the Pharma Sahi Daam app and the NPPA website to check revised prices. Pharmaceutical companies must maintain current production and supply levels for the notified formulations. This requirement aims to support timely, uninterrupted access and prevent artificial market shortages while the price changes take effect.

The 2026 decision builds on price controls introduced in 2019 for 42 anti-cancer drugs. Those earlier controls reduced prices by as much as 90%, according to the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers. The new step continues the focus on making cancer treatment more affordable through government intervention in medicine pricing.

The latest measure is broader in the number of medicines covered. It includes 137 identified non-scheduled anti-cancer drugs, such as immunotherapy medicines, Denosumab, Pegfilgrastim and Bevacizumab. Instead of describing one fixed discount for all products, the ministry limits trade margins to 30% of MRP and calculates revised prices using March 2026 PTS or PTD figures.

The ministry expects the new intervention to reduce MRPs by up to 70%, depending on existing price structures. It also requires manufacturers to maintain production and supply levels. Retailers and hospitals must charge the revised prices from November 9, 2026, extending the earlier effort to a larger group of medicines.

The article uses the price to stockist or price to distributor as the starting point for the revised MRP. This is the amount recorded for March 2026. The formula then applies the permitted trade margin, which cannot exceed 30%, before adding applicable GST. In this way, the calculation controls the combined margin available through the distribution and retail channel.

The formula is MRP = PTS or PTD × {1 + [TM ÷ (100 − TM)]} + applicable GST. With a PTS or PTD of ₹70 and a 30% trade margin, the calculation is ₹70 × {1 + [30 ÷ 70]} = ₹100, followed by applicable GST. The current example MRP is ₹300 plus GST.

The formula does not use the old MRP as its starting point. It uses the March 2026 PTS or PTD, then establishes the maximum allowable revised MRP. Manufacturers report the result to the NPPA, while retailers and hospitals must charge and display it from November 9, 2026.