National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has revised the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) of 543 brands of anti cancer medicines from Nov 9
New Delhi: After the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) revised the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) of 543 brands of anti cancer medicines steeply from Nov 9, the Central Government has barred the import of medicines with less than one year of remaining shelf life, while allowing a separate provision for biological drugs and radiopharmaceuticals, according to a notification issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
The new rule, notified under the Drugs (Thirteenth Amendment) Rules, 2026, amends Rule 31 of the Drugs Rules, 1945, and has come into effect from the date of its publication in the Official Gazette on October 28, 2026.
“The licensing authority shall not allow the import of any drug having less than one year residual shelf-life period as on the date of import,” the ministry said in the Gazette notification.
The amendment means that medicines covered by the general requirement must have at least one year of shelf life remaining when they are imported into India.
However, the government has provided a separate provision for biological drugs and radiopharmaceuticals, under which 60 per cent of the shelf life mentioned on the product label may be allowed.
The notification states, “in case of biological drugs and Radiopharmaceuticals, Sixty percent of the labelled shelf-life may be allowed.”
According to the ministry, the amendment was finalised after consultation with the Drugs Technical Advisory Board and consideration of public feedback on the draft rules.
The revised price list of cancer drugs reflects the information submitted by companies up to 27th of this month and it will be updated as and when manufacturers submit their revised prices of non-scheduled anti-cancer drugs.
According to the official release by the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, several key anti-cancer brands have seen steep price drops. RPG Life Sciences Limited Fulbreca will see its MRP reduced from over Rs 26 to Rs 5049, while Abbott Healthcare Private Limited’s BEVACIZAB rate has been cut from over Rs 21,767 to nearly Rs 5930.
The revision in prices comes amid NPPA’s announcement on 17th October of Trade Margin Rationalisation for 137 non-scheduled anti-cancer drugs in the public interest, aimed at curbing excessive trade margins, making cancer treatment more affordable, and improving access to anti-cancer medicines.