Cancer & Diabetes Medicines To Get Costlier From April 1; Government Pricing Body Greenlights 1.74% Hike

In a major development that could affect the many patients suffering from serious illnesses, prices of crucial drugs used to treat cancer and diabetes will go up. This price rise will come into effect on April 1.

Cancer Drugs To Get Expensive

In addition, this hike in prices will also impact painkillers, antibiotics and anti-infectives.

The prices of these medicines will rise by a major 1.74 per cent. The Economic Times reported that the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has green a this price hike on as many as 1,000 medicines listed in the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM).

The National List of Essential Medicines includes crucial medicines used in different scenarios, including drugs used for anaesthesia, antiallergics, neurological disorders, cardiovascular medicines, and ear, nose, and throat medicines.

The list also includes some important and regularly used medicines like paracetamol, azithromycin, anti-anaemia drugs and vitamins as well.

This is expected to drive the prices of these drugs up, possibly making healthcare more expensive than it already is.

Previous Annoucements

This comes after the Union Budget for 2025-26 announced special measures aimed at enhancing cancer care and expanding access to life-saving treatments. The FM announced exemption of basic customs duty on 36 life-saving drugs.

in the budget before that, in July 2024, the FM exempted three crucial cancer drugs from basic customs duty of BCD. Then, the government withdrew its 10 per cent BCD on Trastuzumab Deruxtecan, Osimertinib and Durvalumab.