Immunotherapy In India Costs 80 Times Average Income: Tata Study Exposes Deep Cancer Care Affordability Crisis
· Free Press Journal
Mumbai: A six-month course of the immunotherapy drug Pembrolizumab in India costs nearly 80 times the average monthly income, according to a major new international study conducted by Tata Memorial Centre and the Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC). The findings highlight what researchers describe as a deep global affordability crisis in modern cancer treatment, affecting not only low- and middle-income countries but also wealthier nations.
Visit amunra-online.pl for more information.
Published in Journal Head & Neck
Published in the journal Head & Neck (2026), the study titled “Disparity in the Markers of Affordability Across Targeted- and Immune-Therapy Drugs Used in Head and Neck Cancers” compared the prices of targeted therapy and immunotherapy drugs across seven countries, including India, the United States, the United Kingdom, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
Pembrolizumab is an immunotherapy drug used to treat various types of cancer, including head and neck cancers. It works by helping the immune system recognize and attack cancer cells. However, the study found that despite its clinical benefits in selected patients, its price places it far beyond the reach of most families. In India, a six-month course of pembrolizumab costs nearly 80 times the average monthly income. Another immunotherapy drug, Nivolumab, costs more than 20 times the average monthly income for a similar duration of treatment.
Similar affordability challenges were observed in neighbouring South Asian countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh. Even in developed countries like the US and UK, these medicines are considered financially burdensome. In none of the countries studied were the drugs deemed truly affordable.
High Cancer Burden, Mostly Out-of-Pocket Spend
Head and neck cancers are particularly common in India and are strongly linked to tobacco use, areca nut (supari), and alcohol consumption. Many patients are diagnosed at advanced stages, and most families finance treatment from their own savings. While immunotherapy has demonstrated survival benefits in selected patients, the study found that the scale of benefit is modest relative to the extremely high cost.
Significantly, the researchers calculated that the amount needed to treat one patient with pembrolizumab in India could instead fund treatment for 18 to 22 patients using lower-cost targeted therapies. Although these alternatives may not produce identical outcomes, they enable far more patients to receive care when resources are limited.
Honouring The Quiet Changemakers: H T Parekh Foundation Launches National Awards For Children's Librarians"Innovation Good, Pricing Disconnected from Reality"
Dr. Arjun Singh, lead author from Tata Memorial Centre, said the issue is not medical innovation but drug pricing that is disconnected from real-world incomes. Dr. Pankaj Chaturvedi, senior author and Director at ACTREC, warned that when most healthcare spending is out of pocket, such high costs can push families into poverty. He emphasized that prevention, early detection, and access to affordable treatment remain central to reducing deaths from head and neck cancers.
The findings come at a time when India is expanding health coverage under Ayushman Bharat and investing in cancer care infrastructure. Although steps such as removing customs duties on certain cancer medicines may offer some relief, the researchers caution that without more comprehensive price negotiation and systemic reform, high-cost therapies will remain inaccessible to the majority of patients.
The authors conclude that scientific progress alone cannot solve the cancer burden. Without meaningful pricing reform, the promise of modern immunotherapy will continue to remain financially out of reach for most families.
To get details on exclusive and budget-friendly property deals in Mumbai & surrounding regions, do visit: https://budgetproperties.in/