Finally govt gives big relief to cancer patient’s. If you are a cancer patient or if you have a cancer patient in your house then this article is for you. The Indian Government has provided directives to lower the costs of three anti-cancer medications to benefit consumers. In a written response in the Lok Sabha on Friday, Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers Anupriya Patel stated that the government has mandated a decrease in the maximum retail price (MRP) for medications such as Trastuzumab, Derextecan, Ocimartinib, and Darvalumab. In addition to this, the basic customs duty (BCD) on these medications has been decreased to zero and the GST rate has been lowered from 12 percent to 5 percent.
This is the reason the government made this choice
The minister mentioned that this action is intended to offer financial support to cancer patients and enhance their access to these medications. He explained that following the notifications, the manufacturers have lowered the MRP of these medications and have notified the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) regarding the adjustment.
In addition, NPPA has released a memo instructing companies to lower medicine prices following the decrease in GST rates and customs duty exemptions, allowing consumers to take advantage of this. For instance, AstraZeneca Pharma India Ltd has lowered the prices of several of its formulations.
This request will be advantageous
As per the Union Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers, AstraZeneca stated in its letter that because the BCD is zero, the decrease in medicine prices will take effect once the stock is made available for commercial sale in the market. Following this decision, the costs of these medications will become more accessible. This is particularly crucial as the number of cancer cases in India is increasing. A recent study published in Lancet revealed that in 2019, India recorded around 12 lakh new cancer cases and 9.3 lakh deaths, making it the second-largest contributor to the disease burden in Asia.
