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Manufactures are awaiting the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA)’s urgent intervention as production of cancer medicines has become unviable due to rise in platinum prices.
The industry is, therefore, urgently pushing for a realistic upward revision of the ceiling prices by the NPPA for anti-cancer medicines like cisplatin, carboplatin, and oxaliplatin to keep pace with the rising active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) cost.
“At the heart of modern chemotherapy are Platins, specifically cisplatin, carboplatin, and oxaliplatin. These molecules are the foundational workhorses of cancer treatment, utilized in a vast majority of treatment protocols. However, a volatile shift in the global supply chain has created a paradox: while the cost of APIs for these life-saving drugs has surged by nearly 200% to 300%, the NPPA-regulated ceiling prices have remained stagnant,” informs Nimishh Thakkar, chairman & MD, Zuvius Lifesciences and board member of the Federation of Pharmaceutical and Allied Products Merchant Exporters (FPME).
Zuvius Lifesciences is the manufacturer of a widest range of anticancer medicines including blood cancer globally and is currently exporting to over 50 plus countries with an EU GMP dedicated oncology facility. The company is partnering with premier institutions like the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and Tata Memorial Hospital towards making anti-cancer medicines available.
Platinum-based drugs have been under government price controls since 2013. For carboplatin, the price increase since 2015 is just 21.71 per cent, or a compound annual growth (CAGR) rate of 2.21 per cent, according to the industry. At current regulated prices, carboplatin is capped at Rs. 61.10 per 10 mg/ml vial; cisplatin ranges Rs. 70 to Rs. 300 depending on strength. These have lagged far behind raw material inflation.
Platinum is the core raw material for three cornerstone chemotherapy drugs carboplatin, cisplatin, and oxaliplatin. These “Platins” are first-line, affordable treatments for many common cancers (head and neck, ovarian, lung, breast, gastrointestinal, etc.).
In early April 2026, major Indian pharma companies like Cipla, Dr Reddy’s, Zydus Lifesciences, Intas, Emcure, Hetero, Fresenius, and others approached the NPPA requesting up to a 50% increase in ceiling prices. They argued that fixed prices (unchanged or minimally adjusted for years) no longer cover the doubled raw material costs, making production unviable and risking shortages.
“Most manufacturers have been forced to halt production of these life-saving anti-cancer medicine to avoid catastrophic financial losses. This has triggered an acute market shortage of Platins across India. For a cancer patient, a delay in chemotherapy is not merely an inconvenience; it is a potential death sentence. The "Beat Cancer" mission, we all champion is being undermined by a pricing framework that has failed to adapt to the post-2025 global inflationary environment. However, even with our push toward end-to-end API integration, the current price-cost mismatch for Platins is a barrier we cannot overcome alone,” explains Thakkar
Thakkar further adds that we are seeking NPPA intervention for a realistic upward revision of the ceiling prices of cisplatin, carboplatin, and oxaliplatin to keep pace with the doubling of API costs. Without this adjustment, the "Make in India" success story in oncology will falter, leaving our most vulnerable citizens without the medicine they need to survive.
Carboplatin is fundamentally important in cancer treatment protocols notified by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and has been recognised as an essential medicine globally. The drug has been listed in the National Formulary of India (NFI), 2021 and indicated for advanced stages of ovarian cancer and certain lung cancers.
Platinum prices have surged sharply in recent months (late 2025 into Q1-Q2 2026), with the metal roughly doubling in India (from Rs. 3,869 per gram in September 2025 to Rs. 8,000 per gram by February 2026) and rising 30% in the first quarter of 2026 globally.
Pharma industry expert Vikas Nim states that key reasons for the recent platinum price hike is driven by a mix of structural supply shortages and strong demand, amplified by macroeconomic and geopolitical factors and persistent global supply deficits. The platinum market has been in deficit for several years (e.g., a record 1.08 million ounces deficit in 2025). South Africa produces 70% of global supply, but output is constrained by aging mines, power shortages, operational issues and rising costs.
“Without relief, companies warn of reduced output or halted production, threatening availability of these widely used, essential medicines. India already faces rising cancer incidence. Higher costs could strain patients, hospitals, and government schemes like Ayushman Bharat, especially in the private sector where most chemotherapy is delivered,” industry experts caution.
According to data from market research agency PharmaTrac, the market for platinum-based drugs is Rs. 110 crore, growing at 14 per cent annually.
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