'Broad Daylight Dacoity': Supreme Court Expresses Shock Over Overpricing of Essential Cancer Medicines

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday (September 22) expressed shock over the overpricing of essential medicines required for treating cancer and termed the phenomenon as “broad daylight dacoity”, reported The Hindu. The top court came down heavy on the authorities after noting the fact that one such drug had an MRP of Rs 27,000 despite being supplied to retailers for Rs 2,700.

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

The apex court made the observations while hearing two petitions that raised drug-related issues, including that of ensuring strict price control over medicines.

"The MRP is 10 times the rate at which it is provided to the retailers. If this is not extortion, then what it is? People sell their houses, ornaments to get treatment. This is absolute rampage and carnage. This is broad daylight dacoity with patients," said the court.

The court questioned how the patients could be cheated like this.

One of the petitioners said that fixing MRP of medicines was of grave importance submitted before the court that his plea also raised the issue concerning the prescription of generic medicines by registered medical practitioners.

Additional solicitor general K.M. Nataraj, who was appearing for the Union government in one of the pleas, said the government was not treating it as an adversarial litigation.

The court observed that price fixation was a major issue and posted the matter for further hearing on September 29.

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