A new analysis from investigators at the Tata Memorial Centre has quantified the financial strain of modern cancer therapy in India, underscoring a widening gap between therapeutic innovation and real-world affordability. The study found that a standard six-month course of pembrolizumab costs the equivalent of 7,994 percent of the country’s average monthly income. At an estimated Rs 10.1 lakh per month, annual treatment expenses can exceed Rs 1.2 crore per patient, placing the drug well beyond the reach of most households.
Pembrolizumab, one of the world’s highest-grossing oncology agents, is approved for head and neck cancers as well as malignancies of the lung, cervix, and melanoma. Although widely regarded as a milestone in immunotherapy, the researchers noted that in many clinical trials, median overall survival gains are often limited to two to three months. While meaningful for…
