SC Flags ‘Dacoity’ in Medicine Pricing, Seeks Uniform Margins
The Supreme Court on Monday slammed the steep markups on medicines, calling the pricing of some drugs ‘carnage’ and ‘dacoity’.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta noted that a cancer drug which costs the retailer between Rs 2,700 and Rs 3,000 carries a maximum retail price of Rs 27,000.
The court asked why the 16 per cent retailer margin prescribed under the Drug Price Control Order of 2013 cannot be applied uniformly to all medicines.
The bench said unchecked margins hurt patients who have no choice but to buy life-saving drugs at whatever price is printed on the pack.
The matter will be heard next on October 12, when the court is expected to examine how price regulation can be tightened.
Why it matters: a uniform margin rule could sharply cut what Indian families pay for critical medicines and force greater transparency across the entire pharmaceutical supply chain.
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