Morning Brief Podcast (ET Online)
The Cancer Drug Price Trap
18:47 Min | November 03, 2026, 6:07 AM IST
Why does a cancer injection bought by a hospital for ₹11,000 end up costing a patient ₹1.3 lakh? India’s drug pricing system is under scrutiny as the government caps trade margins on hundreds of cancer medicines at 30%. While prices of several drugs have fallen sharply, nearly one in four packs has seen no reduction. And a 30% margin still allows a markup of nearly 43% over the manufacturer’s price. So who profits from expensive medicines? Why have previous interventions failed? And will the latest price cuts actually bring relief to patients? Anirban Chowdhury talks to ET's pharma editor Vikas Dandekar. Listen in: