RCC price for a breast cancer drug: Rs 42,500; at government med store: Rs 22,500

Canmab 440 mg injection, the brand name of Trastuzumab, is used by itself or together with other chemotherapy medication, for treating breast cancer and sometimes for intestinal cancer.

Regional Cancer Centre in Thiruvananthapuram (File photo)

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A costly drug to treat breast cancer is sold at the state-owned Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) at double the price at a government-run medical store on the same campus and also online.

Canmab 440 mg injection, the brand name of Trastuzumab, is used by itself or together with other chemotherapy medication, for treating breast cancer and sometimes for intestinal cancer.

The RCC charges Rs 42,500 for the Canmab 440 mg combipack of one vial of Trastuzumab and two vials of bacteriostatic water. The same pack is available for different prices starting from Rs 22,500 on the online market place IndiaMart.

The In-house Drug Bank (IHDB) attached to the SAT Hospital, just a few hundred metres away from the RCC, charges much lower — Rs 20,790. The MRP of the drug is Rs 62,043.

Short takes

• The C-Clinic of RCC, which deals with malignancies affecting the breast and central nervous system, receives thousands of patients every year. The 2014-15 annual report of the RCC, the latest one available on the RCC website, says the hospital received a total of 1,970 new patients during the period. Of them, 18 were males and 1,952 females.  
• Breast cancer constitutes about 28-30 per cent of all cancer cases in women.

RCC Director Rekha A Nair, who assumed office a month ago, said the hospital has started efforts to provide medicines at lower rates.

“One of my first priorities is to provide medicines at best rates. 

“We’ve prepared a list of medicines which can be provided at lower rates. Their prices will be compared with the rates of Karunya Community Pharmacy as well as the IHDB and matching prices would be fixed,” she said.

The officer said the drug committee of the hospital would be convened soon to discuss this.

It is learnt the purchase and sale prices of Canmab and some other drugs sold at higher rates at the RCC were fixed by the previous administration committee. The RCC purchases 400-500 units of Canmab a month. 

A patient requires 15-20 units during a three-month course of treatment.