Dinesh Gundu Rao

Karnataka Minister Flags Drug Markups Up to 70 Times Procurement Cost, Seeks National Price Audit

Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao has raised alarm over steep markups on high-value medicines, saying some cancer, kidney and AIDS drugs are being sold at as much as 70 times the procurement cost. He has called for a national study comparing printed MRP, manufacturer or importer price, hospital acquisition cost and the final amount billed to patients. The demand places fresh pressure on India’s fragmented pricing chain, where opaque procurement and billing practices can sharply inflate out-of-pocket spending.