Kolkata: The sharp drop in the price of 543 cancer drugs will help a significant number of cancer patients — who may have been forced to discontinue treatment due to lack of funds — continue treatment, eventually resulting in better outcomes, said oncologists in Kolkata. The city and the state have one of the largest numbers of cancer patients who ‘drop out’ of treatment.National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has revised the MRP of 543 cancer drug brands and pack sizes in India, cutting prices by up to 90% for select generic and biosimilar medicines.While an exact macro-level total of dropouts is unavailable, oncology experts and medical panels in Kolkata have repeatedly highlighted that out-of-pocket expenses — averaging upwards of Rs 3.3 lakh annually for advanced care — drive a significant portion of families to financial ruin and force treatment dropouts.Sanjoy Roy, oncologist, Ruby General Hospital, said, “A significant number of patients drop out after the first chemotherapy cycle. Most cancer drugs are unreasonably priced high. A common breast cancer medicine whose patented version cost patients Rs 1 lakh a month now costs Rs 3,000 since its patent period is over. While many drugs will now be significantly cheaper, the govt should allow more biosimilar drugs made in India to be used.”The price of some cancer drugs like Bevaceril 400 has dropped from Rs 75,718 to Rs 12,668, said Indranil Ghosh, consultant medical oncologist, Manipal Hospitals. “This is an anti-angiogenic drug, which arrests new blood vessel formation in cancer tissues and helps reduce growth of tumor. It is used in colon cancer, ovarian cancer and brain tumor,” said Ghosh. He added that the biggest drop has been for biosimilar drugs and monoclonal antibodies like pertuzumab, bevacizumab, cetuximab and some others made in India.A biosimilar is a biologic medical product that is highly similar to and has no clinically meaningful difference from an approved reference biologic, often referred to as the “originator” drug.“Generic chemo drugs like azacitidine, pemetrexed, palbociclib, abiraterone will now be significantly cheaper. However, patented drugs by MNCs, like pembrolizumab, durvalumab and enfortumab, are likely to be unaffected by this revision. These are extremely costly,” said Ghosh.For many families, cost of medicines makes cancer treatment unsustainable, said Sudeep Das, HOD & senior consultant, medical oncology. “Clinical regimens like chemotherapy, targeted therapy and long-duration oral anticancer agents depend on continuity. When a patient skips cycles, takes dose reductions, or stops early for financial reasons, relative dose intensity falls; that directly affects outcomes,” he said.Extending price relief to essential consumables and devices will ease the cumulative financial burden of cancer care, said Supriyo Chakrabarty, group adviser, BP Poddar Hospital. “Alongside lower drug prices, this could make comprehensive cancer care more affordable and give patients and their families greater confidence in their ability to sustain treatment. We hope the benefit reaches every patient and cost does not become a roadblock to continuing treatment,” Chakraborty said.For many, the emotional upheaval of a cancer diagnosis is compounded by the fear of being unable to sustain treatment, he added. “Drug affordability influences treatment continuity, therapy selection and modifications. Financial constraints can delay treatment, disrupt schedules and restrict access to clinically appropriate options. Lower prices should give doctors, patients and families greater flexibility to initiate and sustain suitable therapies, or modify treatment when disease progression or adverse effects require it,” said Chakraborty.
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