The Supreme Court has called the steep pricing disparity on essential medicines — especially a cancer drug sold at ₹27,000 to consumers despite being supplied to retailers for ₹3,000 — as 'carnage'. The case challenges the enforcement of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013, and raises critical questions about healthcare affordability, taxpayer burden under Ayushman Bharat, and the role of private hospitals in overcharging patients.
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- ›Court Bench: Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta
- ›Key Regulation: Drugs (Prices Control) Order (DPCO), 2013
- ›Target this Data: Cancer drug PTR ₹3,000 vs MRP ₹27,000 (10x mark-up)
- ›Target this Nodal Body: Supreme Court Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta
- ›Target this Legal Point: Drugs (Prices Control) Order (DPCO), 2013 — 16% retailer margin on MRP
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