The prices of at least 63 anti-cancer medicines are likely to reduce considerably if the proposed plans of the Central Government to exempt all cancer drugs from taxes materialise. Only 29 of these drugs currently figure in the National Essential Medicine List (NEML).

On the whole there are about 73 anti-cancer drugs that have come under the notice of the Union Chemicals and Fertilisers Ministry for being considered for tax exemption recommendation, it is learnt. While majority of these drugs do not enjoy any exemption from customs duty, CVD/excise duty etc, very few come under the 5% custom duty category.

The medicines identified by the Union Chemicals and Fertilisers Ministry which are not part of the NEML include anastrozole, aprepitant, bexarotene, bicalutamide, daunorubicin HCL, docetaxel, exemestane, fulvastrant, gefitinib, granisetron HCL, permetrexed disodium, oxalipltin, mitozantrone, vinorelbine, topetecan, fosfestrol, ethinyl oestradiol, megesterol acetate, tomozoiomide, etc. The medicines that come under NEML, but still are not covered by tax exemptions are azathioprine, cyclosporine, antinomycin D, alpha interferon, cisplatin, cyclophosphamide, cytosine arabinoside, danazol, doxorubicin, etoposide, flutamide, 5-fluorouracil, folinic acid, L-asparaginase, melphalan, mercaptopurine, mitomycin-C, paclitaxel, vinblastine sulphate, vincristine, prednisolone, raloxifene, tamoxefen citrate, morphine sulphate and ondansetron.

The Draft Pharma Policy 2006 had proposed a series of measures to ensure a wider reach of cancer drugs. Complete exemption from all types of central and state taxes and levies, voluntary reduction of profit margins by companies, and a subsidy scheme to be worked out with the help of concerned manufacturers and the cancer hospitals were some of the major recommendations.

The government had noted that at any given point of time there are about 20 to 25 lakh people suffering from cancer in the country. The draft policy also mentions about an estimated 7 lakh people getting detected with different types of cancer.

The government feels that while there is Rs 5,000 crore-market for these medicines, while the actual size is only Rs 150 crore. This, government feels, is an indication of the near non-accessibility of the medicines to a vast majority of the affected population. The current efforts are meant to solve this problem.