Cancer Drugs Get Cheaper on Paper. Who Will Stop the Hospital Loot?

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By TRH Op-Ed Desk

MRPs of several cancer medicines have been slashed by thousands of rupees, but an ₹11,000 injection allegedly billed at ₹1.30 lakh raises a bigger question: who protects patients from exorbitant hospital charges?

New Delhi, October 29, 2026 — India’s cancer patients have received some welcome news: the maximum retail prices (MRPs) of several anti-cancer medicines are being sharply reduced. But behind the impressive numbers lies an uncomfortable question. Will cheaper medicines translate into affordable cancer treatment, or will patients continue to face staggering bills at hospital counters?

Consider the revised price list. Thiotepa injection under the brand SAMTEPA, manufactured by Samarth Life Sciences, has seen its MRP fall from ₹80,072 to ₹7,150, a reduction of ₹72,922. Pertuzumab under Hertumab, marketed by Glenmark, has dropped from ₹94,951 to ₹30,593. Bevacizumab under BEVACIZAB, manufactured by Abbott, has fallen from ₹65,205 to ₹8,957.

The reductions are substantial. The price of Palbociclib under Palbopro capsules has declined from ₹40,421 to ₹2,720. Bevacizumab under CIZUMAB, manufactured by Hetero, has dropped from ₹57,816 to ₹10,211. These are not cosmetic adjustments. For patients requiring repeated treatment, lower medicine prices can make a real difference.

Yet the Supreme Court has been confronted with an even more disturbing dimension of the problem. A medical dealer reportedly told the court that a cancer injection available to him at ₹11,000 was charged by a hospital at ₹1.30 lakh for his wife’s treatment.

If the account is accurate, the difference demands a convincing explanation. What services and costs account for the additional ₹1.19 lakh? How much does the patient know about the hospital’s procurement price? And what recourse does a family have when treatment cannot be postponed while it disputes a bill?

Hospitals have operating costs, skilled personnel and expensive infrastructure to maintain. They are entitled to reasonable compensation for their services. But those realities cannot justify opaque pricing or prevent scrutiny of extraordinary mark-ups.

Whither transparency? Whither accountability? Whither affordable healthcare?

The government cannot declare victory simply by announcing cheaper medicines. Price reductions at the manufacturing or retail level must reach patients, and hospital billing practices must be examined independently. Itemised bills, transparent medicine prices, clear disclosure of service charges, effective audits and accessible grievance mechanisms should be the minimum requirements.

Nor is this only a cancer-care problem. Patients undergoing cardiac procedures, intensive care and other critical treatments can also find themselves financially cornered when they have little opportunity to question costs.

Government health schemes matter, but coverage does not automatically eliminate every out-of-pocket expense. The test of public policy is not the number of announcements made; it is the financial protection patients actually receive.

A cancer diagnosis is devastating enough. Families should not have to wage a second battle against incomprehensible medical bills.

Cheaper medicines are a welcome beginning. But until patients can see what they are paying for and challenge unjustified charges, affordable healthcare will remain an unfinished promise.

The government must regulate where necessary, audit where warranted and act wherever exploitation is established. A patient’s desperation must never become a licence for profiteering.