A drug that once cost more than Rs 1 lakh a cycle is now available for around Rs 30,000, giving more cancer patients in India a chance to access immunotherapy, a treatment that has transformed outcomes in several cancers but remained prohibitively expensive for many. Oncologists have reported a sharp rise in prescriptions for nivolumab over the past six months following the launch of a cheaper biosimilar, according to a report by Times of India's Malathy Iyer.
The shift comes as Indian research into lower-dose regimens offers another potential route to reducing treatment costs. Together, cheaper drug alternatives and evidence-based dosing strategies could widen access to advanced cancer treatment, although affordability at the manufacturer's end does not guarantee that patients will benefit at the hospital counter.
