‘Broad daylight dacoity’, says Supreme Court on overpricing of essential cancer drugs

Terming it a "broad daylight dacoity" against patients, the Supreme Court on Tuesday (September 22, 2026) expressed shock over the overpricing of essential cancer medicines , noting that one drug carried an MRP of ₹27,000 despite being supplied to retailers for ₹2,700.

"It is very surprising that the authorities who are supposed to take action on this are silent," a Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta said.

The observations came when the Supreme Court was hearing two petitions that raised drug-related issues, including that of ensuring strict price control over medicines.

The court termed it "absolutely shocking" that the printed MRP of an essential cancer drug was ₹27,000 when the price to retailer (PTR) was ₹2,700.