Vikrant Shekhawat : Oct 29, 2024, 06:20 PM
Central Government: On the occasion of Diwali, the government has provided great relief to cancer patients. According to the order issued by the Ministry of Health, the maximum retail price (MRP) of three major drugs used in the treatment of cancer will be reduced. The purpose of this decision is to control the prices of essential medicines in the country and provide affordable medicines to the patients.Control of drug pricesThe National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) controls the prices of essential medicines in the country. Recently, the NPPA has directed to reduce the MRP of three drugs used in the treatment of cancer - trastuzumab, osimertinib, and durvalumab.Trastuzumab: This drug is especially used in the treatment of breast cancer.Osimertinib: This drug is used in the treatment of lung cancer.Durvalumab: This drug is considered effective in the treatment of various types of cancer.Government's commitmentThe government has reduced the prices of these medicines to ensure that common people continue to get essential medicines at affordable prices. The NPPA has ordered to reduce the maximum price of medicines. Apart from this, recently the GST rate on these medicines has been reduced from 12 percent to 5 percent, and the Union Budget 2024-25 also announced the abolition of customs duty on these medicines.The government says that the effect of reduction in taxes should be clearly visible on the prices of medicines. In this sequence, the Revenue Department of the Finance Ministry had issued a notification on July 23 this year reducing the customs duty on these three medicines to zero.Effect of new pricesThe new MRP has come into effect from October 10, 2024. Companies have been directed to implement this new MRP and provide related information - such as information about price changes - to dealers, state drug controllers and the government.Increasing number of cancer patientsThe number of cancer patients in India has exceeded 14 lakhs, and every year its cases are increasing. According to a study by Lancet, the number of cancer patients was 13.9 lakhs in 2020, which reached 14.2 lakhs in 2021 and 14.6 lakhs in 2022.ConclusionThis decision will not only provide relief to cancer patients, but it also reflects the social responsibility and commitment of the government in the health sector. On this festival of Diwali, where people are preparing to buy new things, this initiative of the government will prove to be a ray of hope for the patients. This step is definitely an important step towards a healthy society.