India’s drug price regulator raises the ceiling rates for two platinum-based cancer medicines—cisplatin and carboplatin—by about 50% to address shortages, according to a government notification cited by Reuters. The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) invokes special provisions to temporarily revise the regulated price ceilings after federal approval, citing public interest and supply disruptions. The move targets shortages that are affecting hospitals across India, particularly government-run facilities, as cisplatin and carboplatin formulations become harder to source.
The notification dated June 11 sets the revised ceiling rate for cisplatin at ₹10.89 per ml, up from ₹7.26 per ml. Carboplatin’s ceiling rate increases to ₹90.74 per ml, from ₹60.49 per ml excluding taxes. The regulator says uninterrupted availability of the drugs is important because they are used to treat cancers including ovarian, lung and bladder cancers.
The NPPA describes the revision as one-time and subject to review after six months. Reporting links the shortages to rising raw material costs and disrupted platinum supply chains, driven in part by higher platinum prices and external supply disruptions.
