Pharma companies overcharged consumers by ₹10,000 crore despite price controls: data

Pharmaceutical companies have allegedly overcharged consumers by more than ₹10,000 crore despite price caps imposed on essential medicines, according to data from the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA).

The regulator has raised recovery demands under Drug Price Control Orders for charging prices higher than approved limits.

As of September 2025, NPPA has raised total demands of ₹10,013.3 crore, of which ₹8,526.1 crore remains unrecovered.

A significant portion of the pending amount—around ₹5,938.7 crore—is currently under litigation or dispute, with companies challenging NPPA’s recovery orders in courts.

Recovery has remained slow, with only ₹1,487.1 crore collected so far. NPPA data also shows that recovery in the first six months of 2025–26 increased compared to the previous year, though legal challenges continue to delay enforcement against several major pharmaceutical firms.

Recoveries raised (including interest) during FY 2025–26

Swiss Garnier Genexiaa Sciences Pvt Ltd – Nifutin 100 mg tablets: ₹12.81 crore

Torrent Pharmaceuticals – Regestrone CR 10 tablets: ₹6.58 crore

USV Ltd – Clopidogrel 75 mg tablets: ₹4.54 crore

Unichem Laboratories Ltd – Trilostar 6.25 tablets: ₹3.32 crore

Lupin Ltd – Telista 20 tablets: ₹2.37 crore

(Recoveries made up to September 2025 include ₹3.03 crore from Torrent Pharmaceuticals, ₹1.86 crore from USV Ltd, ₹1.35 crore from Unichem Laboratories Ltd, and ₹87.86 lakh from Lupin Ltd)