When I took charge as Karnataka's Health Minister, I received complaints that essential cancer medicines were being sold at inflated prices. I directed the Drugs Control Division of the Department of Health & Family Welfare to investigate. The statewide inquiry found that medicines costing only a few hundred rupees to manufacture were being sold with trade margins of 15% to 52%, and in some cases even higher. We submitted detailed cost and market price data for more than 253 cancer medicines to the Union Department of Pharmaceuticals and urged decisive intervention. Hon'ble Chief Minister Shri D.K. Shivakumar also directed us to take the matter up with the Union Government. Today, the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has capped trade margins on cancer medicines at 30%. I welcome this decision, which will bring much-needed relief to patients and their families. I congratulate the @DHFWKA Principal Secretary, the Commissioner of Food Safety & Drug Administration and the entire team whose investigation brought this issue to the forefront. I also thank the media for highlighting this critical public health concern. Cancer patients must not be forced to fight both the disease and the burden of unaffordable medicines. Our Department will continue inspecting hospitals and medical shops to ensure compliance with the new price limits. Any violation will invite strict action under the law, without exception.

Our @DHFWKA Food Safety Department inspections have revealed a deeply concerning disparity between institutional landing costs and the MRPs of high cost medicines and medical consumables. In certain cases, the MRP is more than 52 times the procurement cost. Such extreme disparities demand serious scrutiny and decisive corrective action. Karnataka is leading a systematic examination of institutional procurement costs, MRPs and patient billing practices. Our objective is clear: to bring greater transparency into healthcare pricing, strengthen accountability and protect patients from unjustified financial burden. So far, we have identified 253 drugs with extreme pricing anomalies. Further verification has covered more than 768 medical consumables and 189 high cost drugs. These findings will be brought to the notice of the Central Government for appropriate action. I have written to the Union Health Minister seeking urgent intervention. Karnataka has urged the Centre to: 🔹Mandate disclosure of landing cost and MRP on patient bills 🔹Expand the coverage of drugs under DPCO price control 🔹Regulate and rationalise trade margins on essential high value medicines and medical consumables 🔹Constitute an inter ministerial expert group and undertake a comprehensive national data study 🔹Amend or supplement the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013, wherever necessary 🔹Expand the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) 🔹Treat back end considerations as part of the acquisition cost 🔹Establish a strong audit, monitoring and enforcement mechanism Life saving healthcare cannot become a source of unjustified financial burden on patients and their families. Karnataka will continue to pursue this issue firmly and take every necessary step to safeguard patients, ensure fair pricing and strengthen accountability in the healthcare system.

Our Health & Family Welfare Department @DHFWKA has taken strict action against a large scale counterfeit medicine racket in Karnataka. The Karnataka FDA has cancelled the licences of 16 pharmaceutical distributors and retailers and suspended the licences of 8 others for their alleged involvement in the distribution and sale of spurious medicines. On August 18, the Food Safety & Drugs Administration Department raided a farmhouse near Bidadi in Bengaluru South district, and busted an unlicensed pharmaceutical repackaging and relabelling unit. Medicines, machinery, packaging material and forged labels worth around ₹5.05 crore were seized. Preliminary findings indicate that low-cost medicines sourced from neighbouring states were being repacked into vials and relabelled as expensive life-saving medicines of multinational pharmaceutical companies. The counterfeit labels also carried fake or non-functional QR codes intended to mislead buyers. Thirty boxes of expired medicines were also seized. A criminal case has been registered under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. Following discussions with the Hon’ble Chief Minister @DKShivakumar and the Home Minister @PriyankKharge , a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was constituted on August 19 to trace the entire network and identify everyone involved. License of M/s Pfizer C & F Depot, Survey No. 66/3 B2, Kempalinganahalli, Nelamangala Taluk, Bengaluru Rural District, Bengaluru-562123 is also Suspended. Those who play with people’s lives will not be tolerated. Once the SIT submits its report, strict legal action will be taken against all those found guilty, regardless of how powerful or influential they may be.