India's Supreme Court calls drug price gouging a daylight extortion
Supreme Court judges denounced exorbitant drug prices as outright extortion and urged that all medicines be covered by price-control rules.
In New Delhi, Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta rebuked pharmaceutical companies and retailers for charging patients astronomically high prices, calling the practice a form of open-air dacoity. They highlighted a cancer medication bought by retailers for Rs 2,770 but advertised with an MRP of Rs 27,000, and an antibiotic sold in corporate hospitals at Rs 5,635 versus Rs 350 in the open market, a 16-fold disparity.
The bench questioned the government's silence on such exploitation and urged that every medicine be subject to the existing price-fixation framework and made available through government-run Jan Aushadhi Kendras. Petitioners K C Jain and Dr. Sanjay Kulshresthra sought judicial intervention, while Additional Solicitor General K M Nataraj said the state was focused on ensuring availability, not price. The judges interrupted, emphasizing that affordability, not just supply, is the core issue. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing pharma firms, requested time to present data, which the court granted.
Why it matters
Excessive drug prices push Indian patients to liquidate assets, highlighting urgent need for stronger price controls.
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