Essential Cancer Medicines: The government has approved a special increase in the prices of two important drugs used in chemotherapy, cisplatin and carboplatin.

Government approves hike in prices of essential cancer medicines

Government Approves Price Hike For Cisplatin And Carboplatin: The impact of the ongoing tension between Iran and Israel-America is being felt all over the world. The prices of everything from food items to petrol, diesel, and gas are rising in the country, and now its effect can be seen on medicines as well, which can cause problems for cancer patients. In fact, the government has approved a special increase in the prices of two important medicines used in chemotherapy, Cisplatin and Carboplatin. There was a continuous shortage of these medicines across the country, due to which the treatment of cancer patients was beginning to be affected.

Its impact across the country

The situation became so serious that the availability of these drugs was affected even at the country's leading cancer institutes and hospitals. Institutions like AIIMS in Delhi and the Tata Memorial Centre in Mumbai also expressed concern about the shortage. Doctors say these drugs are used to treat a variety of cancers, including lung, head and neck, cervical, ovarian, and testicular cancers. Importantly, there are no fully equivalent substitutes available.

Why is there a shortage of medicines?

According to experts, the biggest reason for the shortage of medicines is the rising price of platinum. Platinum is the main raw material used to manufacture these medicines. Platinum prices have risen by up to 225 percent in the past few years, and in the last six months alone, their price has nearly doubled. Production challenges in South Africa and ongoing conflict in West Asia have also impacted the supply chain.

Why did the government increase the price?

On the other hand, the prices of these drugs had long been under government control. Price limits set under the Drug Price Control Order prevented companies from raising prices despite rising costs. As a result, many pharmaceutical companies reduced production, or in some cases, even stopped production, impacting supply in the market. Given the gravity of the situation, the government decided to invoke Paragraph 19 of the DPCO 2013. This is a special provision that allows the government to take decisions outside of normal price control regulations when the availability of an essential drug is affected. This provision paved the way for price revisions for cisplatin and carboplatin.

According to media reports, a committee has recommended that a 10 percent increase per year since the last pricing date can be considered as a base, with the total increase not exceeding 50 percent. However, the final price revision will be decided based on actual increases in drug manufacturing costs.

Treatment could be delayed

Experts believe that if the shortage of these drugs persisted for a long time, it could delay treatment for patients. This could increase the risk of cancer recurrence and impact patients' chances of recovery and survival. The government hopes that after the price revision, domestic companies will resume large-scale production. This will improve supply and ensure timely availability of essential medicines to cancer patients.