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Government caps trade margins on 137 cancer drugs at 30 per cent
ਖ਼ਬਰਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਕਿਉਂ?
137 cancer drugs, a 30 per cent margin cap: which body enforces it under DPCO 2013?
A 30 per cent cap on trade margins on 137 cancer drugs takes effect from 9 November.
Why it matters: factual, Prelims-type
What you need to know
2 ਮਿੰਟ
The government has notified a 30 per cent cap on trade margins for 137 anti-cancer medicines, with revised prices effective from 9 November.
The move rationalises margins between manufacturer and patient and is aimed at reducing the prices paid for these medicines.
Trade-margin rationalisation is carried out under the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013, administered by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority.
ਸਰੋਤ: Topper IAS editorial (PIB / The Hindu / Indian Express)
ਮੁੱਖ ਤੱਥ
Remember these
- Trade margin on 137 anti-cancer medicines capped at 30 per cent; revised prices effective 9 November
- Trade-margin rationalisation is done under the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013 (DPCO 2013)
- The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) administers DPCO 2013 and fixes ceiling prices
- Trade margin is the gap between the price at which the manufacturer sells and the price the patient pays
- NPPA functions under the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers
ਪ੍ਰੀਲਿਮਜ਼ · ਮੇਨਜ਼
How the exam will ask it
ਪ੍ਰੀਲਿਮਜ਼
- The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority fixes ceiling prices of scheduled medicines and monitors prices of non-scheduled medicines under the DPCO 2013.
- Trade-margin rationalisation caps the margin between manufacturer and patient, and is a price-control tool distinct from drug quality regulation.
- Drug quality, approvals and clinical trials are regulated by the CDSCO, not by the NPPA.
ਮੇਨਜ਼
GS-II (Health) and GS-III (Pricing policy): high out-of-pocket spending on cancer care makes drug affordability a public health issue. DPCO 2013, administered by the NPPA, allows ceiling prices and trade-margin rationalisation, which cut retail prices without direct subsidy. The way forward lies in effective enforcement and monitoring, wider availability of generics, and guarding against supply shortages caused by price control.
Quick recall
Answer before you reveal
Ceiling prices of scheduled medicines and the rationalisation of trade margins on drugs are carried out under the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013 by which authority?
- Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation
- National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority
- Pharmacy Council of India
- Indian Council of Medical Research
ਜਵਾਬ ਵੇਖੋ
ਜਵਾਬ: B — The correct answer is the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority, which fixes ceiling prices and administers trade-margin rationalisation under the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013.
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