Surekha Panicker's Struggle

A 65-year-old retired professional from Kerala faced stage-2 breast cancer with no family or savings.

“My husband died two decades ago. I have no kids or close relatives.”

Treatment Costs

Roche’s Phesgo immunotherapy costs Rs 5 lakh for the first dose and over Rs 2 lakh for subsequent doses.

Financial Breakdown

Panicker paid over Rs 35 lakh for treatment, surgery, and hospital charges after two cycles.

Supreme Court Criticism

The Supreme Court called drug markups 'broad daylight dacoity' after retailers buy medicines for Rs 2,700 and sell for Rs 27,000.

Patient Bankruptcy Risk

Oncologists warn patients are 'only a prescription away from bankruptcy' without fair pricing mechanisms.

Government Cap Proposal

The government proposed a 30% trade margin cap on non-scheduled cancer drugs, potentially saving patients Rs 2,500 crore annually.

Jan Aushadhi Price Gap

A 50 mg vial of doxorubicin costs Rs 250 at Jan Aushadhi but Rs 1,230 in other shops, a 390% increase.

Hospital Profitability

Hospitals argue they include administration, storage, and training costs in drug bills, with 8-9% net profit margins.

Patented Drug Problem

Patented cancer drugs cost Rs 1.5-2 lakh per vial, with markups that don't respond to 30% trade margin caps.

Production Cost Debate

Experts say drug prices should be based on production costs rather than inflated market prices to ensure affordability.

Regulatory Gaps

Scheduled medicines cover only 17% of the pharmaceutical market, leaving 83% outside direct price regulation.

Insurance Push

Insurance companies demand standardized hospital pricing and treatment protocols for affordable healthcare.

Patient Assistance Shortfall

MNC patient assistance programs are insufficient to cover the high base prices and hospital markups for cancer drugs.

What Happens Next

Patients like Panicker need affordable treatments soon, but the Supreme Court’s debate on pricing may take time to resolve.