Supreme Court Questions Tenfold Markup on Essential Cancer Medicines
The Supreme Court has raised serious concerns over the pricing of essential cancer medicines after being informed that a drug with a price to retailers (PTR) of Rs. 2,700 carried a maximum retail price (MRP) of Rs. 27,000. The bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta described the tenfold difference as “broad daylight dacoity” against patients and questioned the authorities’ failure to address such pricing practices.
The observations came while the court was hearing two petitions concerning drug pricing and the prescription of generic medicines. One petition seeks stricter enforcement of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013, to prevent alleged unethical pricing and disproportionate retailer margins. The other seeks disciplinary action against doctors who do not prescribe generic medicines.
Additional Solicitor General K. M. Nataraj told the court that the Centre was not treating the litigation as adversarial. The bench emphasised the need to address medicine affordability and adjourned the matter to September 29.
Insurers Consider Mandatory 10% Co-payment for Retail Health Policies
Non-life insurers are considering introducing a mandatory 10% co-payment on retail health insurance policies from January 1, 2027, with the policyholder’s contribution capped at Rs. 5 lakh per claim. The proposal, being examined by the General Insurance Council, could be accompanied by lower annual premiums, common hospital empanelment and a formal mechanism for resolving disputes between insurers and hospitals.
Under the proposed arrangement, policyholders would bear 10% of admissible inpatient hospitalisation expenses, whether claims are settled through cashless treatment or reimbursement. The proposal covers retail indemnity policies, retail-under-group policies, indemnity components of combination products, internal migrations and portability business. Outpatient claims would remain excluded. The co-payment could not be waived or reduced through riders, endorsements or another health insurance policy.
However, industry experts have questioned whether mandatory cost-sharing would disadvantage customers who pay higher premiums for comprehensive coverage. They have also raised concerns about potential competition issues if insurers collectively withdraw full-compensation policies.
PFRDA’s NPS Swasthya Combines Retirement Savings with Health Insurance
The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has outlined the framework for NPS Swasthya in its 2026 operational guidelines. The specialised scheme combines an investment account under the National Pension System (NPS) with a mandatory super top-up health insurance policy, providing a structure for retirement savings and healthcare protection.
The NPS account builds a dedicated corpus that may also be accessed for eligible healthcare expenses, subject to specified conditions. The health insurance component operates as a family floater covering the subscriber, spouse and up to two dependent children. Parents are not included under the standard coverage.
The subscriber’s entry age ranges from 18 to 70 years, while policy renewal may continue up to age 85, subject to applicable premiums, policy conditions and law.
As a super top-up policy, the insurance becomes applicable only after eligible medical expenses cross the annual aggregate deductible. The deductible is calculated using the cumulative eligible expenses of all covered family members during the policy year, rather than separately for each claim.
Health Ministry Urges States to Ensure Transparent Display of Hospital Charges
The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has urged States and Union Territories to ensure that clinical establishments prominently display their service rates and facility charges to help patients make informed healthcare decisions.
In a letter to Chief Secretaries, Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava called for a review of compliance with applicable regulations and measures to make pricing information clearly visible and accessible. Displaying charges can help patients estimate treatment expenses, reduce billing disputes and strengthen trust in healthcare services.
The letter refers to the Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010, and the Clinical Establishments (Central Government) Rules, 2012, which require establishments covered by the framework to display service rates in English and the local language. States and Union Territories operating under separate regulatory frameworks have also been asked to ensure compliance with their applicable rules.
Authorities have additionally been encouraged to promote transparent package pricing for international patients travelling to India on Medical or Ayush Visas, supporting informed choices and reducing pricing-related grievances.
UK Commission Recommends Staged Approval Framework for Healthcare AI
The United Kingdom’s National Commission into the Regulation of AI in Healthcare has recommended a regulatory framework designed to support innovation while maintaining patient safety, transparency and public trust.
Established by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in September 2025, the independent commission gathered evidence over a year from more than 12,000 people, including patients, clinicians, healthcare leaders, industry representatives and technology developers. Its findings indicate broad public support for healthcare AI, provided strong safety standards, meaningful human oversight and transparency are maintained.
AI is already being used within the National Health Service (NHS) to help detect serious conditions, including strokes and skin cancer, and reduce clinicians’ administrative workload through voice-enabled technologies.
A central recommendation is for the MHRA to introduce staged authorisations for new AI models. Under this approach, systems would initially operate under close supervision and strict safeguards before receiving fuller authorisation. This would allow regulators to assess real-world safety and performance while enabling patients to benefit from promising innovations under controlled conditions.
