The move comes amid concerns over the availability of the two widely used chemotherapy medicines, which are used in the treatment of ovarian, cervical, breast, lung, oral, head and neck, bladder and testicular cancers.
Industry insiders said discussions are underway with the government on measures to restore supplies, including a possible revision in ceiling prices. "The Centre needs to consider allowing a one-time price increase for these drugs to ensure viability," an industry executive said. The head of a pharmaceutical industry association confirmed that discussions with the government were ongoing and expressed hope of an early resolution.
The issue has also come to the attention of policymakers. Pharma Secretary Manoj Joshi told Business Standard last week that while no blanket price increase for essential medicines was under consideration, the government was examining a few individual cases that had witnessed abnormal increases in input costs.
"For example, platinum, used in cancer medications, has seen an almost 250 per cent rise in price. Such cases are being considered," Joshi said.
Oncology drug manufacturer Naprod Life Sciences, which produces cancer medicines, said it has approached the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) seeking a revision in the ceiling prices of cisplatin and carboplatin.
"The shortage of cisplatin and carboplatin is primarily driven by a steep increase in platinum prices," said Mohan Jain, Director, Naprod Life Sciences. According to the company, platinum prices have risen from around Rs 2,000 per gram in June 2025 to nearly Rs 5,000 per gram currently.
Jain said the company's production of the two drugs has been affected by insufficient availability of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API), indicating that the primary bottleneck lies in raw material supply rather than finished-dose manufacturing.
The company said platinum-based raw materials are imported and require special government permits that can take three to four months to obtain. It also cited an increase in platinum import duty to 15.4 percent from 6.4 percent earlier, along with rupee depreciation, as factors worsening production economics.
"The shortage is there in all markets," Jain said, suggesting the supply crunch is not confined to India. He added that government hospitals have increasingly been reaching out to manufacturers for supplies through short-term tenders as availability tightens.
"We are getting enquiries from government hospitals mainly through short-term tenders," Jain said.
The company estimated current lead times for fresh orders at more than 90 days. "Current timeline is more than 90 days if any hospital places an order," Jain said.
Doctors said the shortage is beginning to create challenges for treatment planning because cisplatin and carboplatin remain the standard of care across several solid tumours.
"This is a significant concern because cisplatin and carboplatin are among the most commonly used chemotherapy drugs for solid cancers. Currently, there is no true alternative that can completely replace them across all indications," said Dr Mandeep Singh Malhotra, Director-Surgical Oncology at CK Birla Hospital, Delhi.
Malhotra said oncologists may in some cases have to modify treatment plans depending on drug availability, although that is not always the preferred clinical approach. He also flagged concerns around hoarding and black-market sales as demand continues to outstrip supply in some regions.
"Ensuring uninterrupted availability of these medicines is critical to avoid delays in treatment and maintain optimal patient outcomes," he said.
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