Health Wrap Episode 53 discuss cancer drug pricing, medicine misuse and dengue
This episode of The Health Wrap examines the Supreme Court's scrutiny of exorbitant markups on essential cancer medications and the risks associated with the misuse of painkillers and antibiotics. It also highlights a new machine learning-based early warning system for dengue developed by researchers in Kerala to improve public health preparedness.
Why it matters
The discussion addresses critical issues in healthcare affordability and patient safety, while showcasing how predictive data analytics can be leveraged to manage infectious disease outbreaks.
In the 53rd episode of The Health Wrap by The Hindu, Zubeda Hamid, Senior Assistant Editor, and Athira Elssa Johnson, Senior Reporter, discuss medicine pricing, drug safety and dengue surveillance.
The episode examines the Supreme Court’s concerns over the difference between the supply price and maximum retail price of essential cancer medicines. In one instance, the court was told that a cancer drug with a price to retailer of about ₹2,700 carried a maximum retail price of ₹27,000. The Bench described the difference as “broad daylight dacoity”.
The discussion also covers the court’s concerns about hospitals requiring patients to buy medicines from their own pharmacies, its suggestion of a uniform 16% margin and questions around generic prescriptions and the implementation of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order.
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