Bengaluru, Oct 19 (IANS) BJP Karnataka State President and MLA, B.Y. Vijayendra, on Monday welcomed the Centre’s decision to cap trade margins on 137 medicines used in cancer treatment at 30 per cent, stating that the move would reduce the financial burden on patients and their families.
In a statement, he expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda on behalf of the people of Karnataka for the decision.
Vijayendra said the high cost of cancer treatment often pushes patients and their families into financial distress. He said the decision taken by the Union government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership would help make essential cancer medicines more affordable.
According to Vijayendra, the prices of the 137 medicines are expected to come down by up to 70 per cent from November 9 following the cap on trade margins. He said the move would improve access to life-saving cancer treatments, including immunotherapy, particularly for people from low and middle-income backgrounds.
“This is not just a reduction in medicine prices; it is another testament to the Modi government’s concern for people’s lives and livelihoods,” he said.
Vijayendra said the decision would provide relief to families struggling to meet the high expenses associated with cancer treatment. He added that making essential medicines more affordable was an important step towards reducing the financial pressure on patients and ensuring better access to treatment.
The announcement is expected to bring relief to cancer patients who depend on costly medicines as part of their treatment. The proposed reduction in prices is aimed at improving affordability and easing the economic burden on families dealing with the disease.
It can be noted that Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Minister U.T. Khader had earlier welcomed the Centre’s steps to regulate the prices of cancer medicines, stating that the state government had earlier flagged significant price variations in cancer drugs manufactured by 254 pharmaceutical companies.
Khader said cancer patients already faced major challenges in accessing treatment, while the high cost of medicines placed an additional financial burden on them and their families. He welcomed the Centre’s intervention in regulating cancer drug prices in the interest of patients.
During an inspection conducted by Karnataka’s Food Safety and Drugs Administration (FDA), the department had found significant variations in the prices of cancer medicines manufactured by 254 pharmaceutical companies, he said.
Khader said the government had taken serious note of the fact that medicines manufactured at relatively low costs were reaching consumers at significantly higher maximum retail prices (MRPs), increasing the financial burden on patients.
“Taking this issue seriously, I had instructed FDA officials to examine the price variations in medicines and initiate appropriate action,” he said.
He added that the officials had also been directed to bring the matter to the attention of the relevant central authorities, including the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) and the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), for necessary action on regulating medicine prices.
Khader said he had also highlighted the need to regulate cancer drug prices while speaking to the media at Bengaluru’s Arogya Soudha on September 9. At the time, he had urged the Union government to take the issue seriously and initiate appropriate measures in the interest of patients.
Subsequently, available information on price variations, the landing costs of the medicines and the prices at which they were sold to consumers was compiled and submitted, along with supporting documents, to the concerned central authorities, he said.
The minister acknowledged the role played by the media in bringing the issue of cancer drug price variations into the public domain and generating discussion on the need for effective price regulation.
He also pointed to the filing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Supreme Court on the issue, describing it as a significant development that had brought the matter of medicine price disparities to the attention of the judiciary.
Khader said regulating cancer drug prices was crucial to easing the financial burden on patients and ensuring that people could access essential medicines at affordable rates.
–IANS
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