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NPPA issues revised MRPs for 543 anti-cancer drug brands; Supreme Court reserves order on medicine prices
ਖ਼ਬਰਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਕਿਉਂ?
Which ministry controls drug ceiling prices? NPPA and the DPCO 2013 route, explained for GS2 health
NPPA revises MRPs of 543 cancer-drug brands; Supreme Court reserves order on medicine pricing petitions.
Why it matters: factual, Prelims-type
What you need to know
2 ਮਿੰਟ
The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority has issued revised maximum retail prices for 543 anti-cancer drug brands, and the list will be updated continuously.
Separately, the Supreme Court on 27 October reserved its order on petitions challenging medicine prices and trade margins.
The NPPA fixes and revises ceiling prices of scheduled medicines under the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013.
ਸਰੋਤ: Topper IAS editorial (PIB / The Hindu / Indian Express)
ਮੁੱਖ ਤੱਥ
Remember these
- NPPA has issued revised MRPs for 543 anti-cancer drug brands; the list will be updated continuously
- Supreme Court on 27 October 2026 reserved its order on petitions challenging medicine prices and trade margins
- NPPA fixes and revises ceiling prices of scheduled medicines under the Drugs (Prices Control) Order (DPCO), 2013
- NPPA is an attached office of the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers
- DPCO 2013 is issued under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955; scheduled medicines are drawn from the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM)
ਪ੍ਰੀਲਿਮਜ਼ · ਮੇਨਜ਼
How the exam will ask it
ਪ੍ਰੀਲਿਮਜ਼
- The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) functions under the Department of Pharmaceuticals in the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, not the Health Ministry.
- DPCO 2013 is issued under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 and links ceiling prices to medicines listed in the National List of Essential Medicines.
- Ceiling prices of scheduled formulations are fixed by NPPA, and manufacturers cannot charge above the ceiling price plus applicable GST.
- Prices of non-scheduled medicines are monitored by NPPA, with annual increases capped at 10 per cent.
ਮੇਨਜ਼
GS2 (Health, regulatory bodies) and GS3 (Economy). Cancer drugs are costly and out-of-pocket spending is high, so the State regulates prices through DPCO 2013 and NPPA ceiling prices, while trade margins are a separate and contested layer. The pending Supreme Court order on medicine prices and trade margins may clarify the limits of price control; the way forward lies in wider NLEM coverage, trade-margin rationalisation, stronger monitoring and promotion of generics and public procurement.
Quick recall
Answer before you reveal
The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority, which fixes and revises ceiling prices of scheduled medicines under the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013, functions under which Union Ministry?
- Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
- Ministry of Commerce and Industry
- Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers
- Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution
ਜਵਾਬ ਵੇਖੋ
ਜਵਾਬ: C — The correct answer is Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers. NPPA is an attached body of the Department of Pharmaceuticals in the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers.
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