• MRP over margins: Ajai Kumar argued that regulation should focus on manufacturers’ maximum retail prices (MRPs), not hospital trade margins, which he said are difficult to assess given differences in purchasing and inventory costs. He said hospitals would accept lower MRPs if warranted.
• Court and proposal: He said the Supreme Court hearing was postponed to the 27th and declined to prejudge whether any measure should cover oncology drugs or all drugs. He rejected the proposed 30% trade-margin approach, arguing the issue should be studied in total rather than drug by drug.
• Drug availability risk: He warned that low margins under DPCO could discourage production of essential chemotherapy drugs such as cisplatin and Taxol, and said hundreds of new drugs are already not coming to India because manufacturers see insufficient profitability. He cautioned that further intervention could harm cancer patients.
• Access and outcomes: He urged a focus on access, treatment outcomes and value-based medicine, saying breast cancer treatment abroad may cost 100,000 versus 10 lakhs, 12 lakhs in India—“10 times less.” He declined to disclose pharmacy revenue impact pending detailed study and the company’s third-quarter earnings.