Nagpur cancer drugs sold at MRP thousands above wholesale price
Cancer medicines in Nagpur are priced far above their wholesale cost, adding to the burden on patients' families
A report from Nagpur is likely to add to the worry of cancer patients and their families. The medicines used in cancer treatment are said to show a huge gap between their MRP and the actual wholesale price at which they are bought.
According to information received, one drug has a wholesale price of around Rs 7,000, but its MRP is printed as high as Rs 60,000, a gap of Rs 53,000. This has increased the anxiety of patients' families, since cancer treatment already puts a severe strain on household finances.
This is not the only such drug. Another medicine costs around Rs 5,500 at wholesale price, while its MRP goes up to Rs 30,000. A similar pattern has been seen in other medicines as well, with one drug having an MRP of Rs 25,000 against a wholesale rate of just Rs 5,000, and another having an MRP of Rs 15,000 against the same wholesale rate of Rs 5,000.
The question now being raised is where this gap comes from. It is said that at several private hospitals in Nagpur, patients are asked to buy medicines only from the medical store located inside the hospital premises. The allegation is that even if the patient is given a discount of 10 or 20 percent, a large gap remains between the printed MRP and the actual purchase price. Because of this, the patient's family is left with very few options for buying the medicine. If patients were allowed to buy medicines in the open market, they might get them at a cheaper price.
Questions are also being raised over the pricing policy of pharmaceutical companies in this matter. It is said that by keeping the MRP high, hospitals, doctors and shopkeepers are given discounts or other business benefits. However, it is also necessary to hear the side of the companies and hospitals concerned to confirm these claims, which has not come forward yet.
Another interesting point that has emerged is that the same pattern is seen in generic medicines used in cancer treatment. Medicines with the same formula are made by different companies, but their prices differ hugely. In some cases, one company's medicine is available for around Rs 5,000, while another company charges Rs 20,000 to 25,000 for a medicine with the same formula.
Both the number of cancer patients in Nagpur and the cost of their treatment are rising, and in this situation, the gap between the MRP and wholesale price of medicines remains a major issue for patients and their families.
