Residents would soon be able to buy anti-cancer drugs at 50 per cent less than the printed price (maximum retail price or MRP).

A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting chaired by health department principal secretary R.K. Mahajan on Tuesday. State drug controller Ramesh Kumar attended the meeting among others.

Recent raids by drug control administration teams at city-based medical shops had revealed that anti-cancer drugs were being sold at more than double or triple the MRP.

For example, the government-approved price of Dexam is Rs 6.40 a tablet but it was being sold at Rs 50.

Similarly, the government-approved price of I Dox is Rs 4,313.43 a vial but it was being sold at Rs 19,800 a vial. The drugs are used during chemotherapy.

On Monday, the health department principal secretary held a meeting with members of the chemists and druggists association where the decision to regulate prices of anti-cancer drugs was taken.

Sources said that 95 brands are selling around 100 types of cancer drugs in the state.

The anti-cancer drugs of all these brands would be now available at 50 per cent less than their MRP.

Sources in the drug control administration said that members of druggists and chemist associations have also been apprised of the decision.

Also, they have been asked to implement it properly, otherwise stern action would be taken against them.

"All anti-cancer drug dealers have been asked to keep photocopies of the patient's prescription and the medicine bill. Awareness programmes would also be organised to make cancer patients aware of this move," said an official of the drug control administration.

Santosh Kumar, general secretary of Patna Druggists and Chemists Association said his association would ask its member to abide by the government direction.

"The government must also ensure that drug stores operating from private nursing homes and hospitals, too, abide by the directive. Regulating individual drug stores won't serve the purpose and it would be unfair too."

Cancer patients were elated to hear about the directive.

Sunita Devi, a Muzaffarpur-based patient who is undergoing treatment for cancer at the Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, said: "The decision has come as a boon for people like me. My husband is a farmer. Every month he has to shell out something around Rs 6,000 on my medicines. I know how much trouble he has to face arranging the money."

Just last month, the state drug control administration had stopped sale of cancer pills manufactured by two companies that were found to be selling the drugs at higher prices.