Karnataka urges Centre to extend price caps to other life-saving medicines

BENGALURU: The Karnataka government on Saturday urged the Union administration to widen proposed price control measures beyond oncology to include other high-cost, life-saving medicines utilised in the management of cardiac and kidney disorders.

The appeal follows recent regulatory steps initiated by national authorities to restrict retail mark-ups on specialized therapeutics. State officials stated that expanding these interventions is necessary to alleviate severe financial strains on patients undergoing prolonged medical care for chronic and critical illnesses.

Addressing reporters in Bengaluru, Health and Family Welfare Minister U.T. Khader welcomed the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority's decision to cap trade margins on non-scheduled anti-cancer medications at 30 per cent of the maximum retail price. He noted that state-level inspections earlier flagged substantial discrepancies between institutional procurement costs and amounts billed to consumers.

In a letter addressed to Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda on September 23, the state health department detailed pricing variations across 253 pharmaceutical products and medical consumables. Officials pointed out instances where medicines procured at lower institutional rates were retailed at margins exceeding several hundred percent.

The state administration has pressed for advanced chemotherapy regimens, targeted treatments, and specialized medical equipment to be regulated under the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013. Furthermore, hospitals and retail pharmacies have been directed under recent state circulars to explicitly itemize acquisition costs alongside retail figures on consumer billing statements.

Central estimates indicate that capping trade margins on anti-cancer therapeutics could reduce retail prices by 20 to 70 per cent, generating collective annual savings of approximately ₹2,500 crore for patients nationwide. State authorities maintained that applying similar limits to cardiology and nephrology supplies would deliver comparable relief.

The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority has instructed an expert committee operating under the Directorate General of Health Services to finalize the designated list of oncology medicines and corresponding margin thresholds by October 14. State health authorities anticipate that formal central notifications regarding the expanded framework will follow subsequent evaluations.