Supreme Court Slams High Prices of Cancer Drugs and Calls Pricing Disparity Carnage

The Supreme Court on Tuesday questioned the Centre over massive price gaps for essential medicines and cancer drugs, calling the steep mark-ups "carnage". A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta asked why a uniform 16 percent retailer margin under the Drugs (Prices Control) Order of 2013 should not apply to essential medicines.

The Petitions

The court heard petitions from advocate Kishan Chand Jain and paediatric surgeon Sanjay Kulshrestha. They want the apex court to regulate prices for drugs, medical equipment, and generic medicines to improve affordability. Justice Mehta highlighted a cancer drug supplied to retailers for about 3,000 rupees but sold to consumers for 27,000 rupees, asking where the 24,000 rupee difference goes.

Government Response

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court that private hospitals, rather than drug companies, benefit from these large mark-ups. The Bench also noted that private hospitals often force patients to buy medicines from their own in-house pharmacies.

Context

High medicine prices place a heavy financial strain on families, often forcing them to sell personal assets to pay for medical care. When treatments run through public health schemes, taxpayers ultimately cover these inflated costs.