11 juin 2026
A steep rise in raw material costs has pushed the government to allow price hikes of 50% or more to restore supplies of cisplatin and carboplatin.
India is facing an acute shortage of two essential chemotherapy drugs, cisplatin and carboplatin, due to a steep rise in raw material (API) costs, thus making production unviable for manufacturers.
To prevent treatment disruptions, the government has invoked Paragraph 19 of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013. It is an emergency clause, rarely used, that allows drug prices to be increased beyond the standard annual ceiling in exceptional circumstances.
This move may raise prices by 50% or more. However, it is intended to restore the supply of these irreplaceable first‑line cancer therapies. Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, and oncologists nationwide have warned of alarming shortages, with potentially fatal consequences for thousands of patients if supply remains disrupted.
An inter‑ministerial committee approved 4 of the 82 industry applications received for price hikes. These are cisplatin, carboplatin, and two anti‑tetanus immunoglobulin injections.
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