- Karnataka has formally urged the Union government to broaden price regulation beyond cancer drugs to include other high-cost life-saving medications. - High costs of specialized and rare disease drugs often result in catastrophic out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) for households, pushing vulnerable families into poverty. - The state's proposal highlights the limitation of current price caps which cover only a fraction of critical care therapies, emphasizing the need for wider inclusion in the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) or separate price ceilings. - Addressing drug affordability is critical to achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and reducing financial hardships associated with marketization of healthcare. - **National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA):** An independent regulatory body under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers responsible for fixing and revising the prices of pharmaceutical products and enforcing the DPCO in India. - **Drug Prices Control Order (DPCO):** An order issued by the central government under the Essential Commodities Act to regulate and fix the ceiling prices of essential and life-saving drugs in India. - **National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM):** A curated list of medicines considered basic, cost-effective, and vital for the healthcare needs of the population, formulated by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. **Introduction** Karnataka has requested the Central government to extend price caps beyond cancer medicines to cover other high-cost, life-saving drugs. The move aims to mitigate catastrophic out-of-pocket healthcare expenses for patients suffering from critical and rare illnesses, underlining the policy debate on drug affordability and pharmaceutical price control in India. **Core Issue and Detailed Points** - Karnataka has formally urged the Union government to broaden price regulation beyond cancer drugs to include other high-cost life-saving medications. - High costs of specialized and rare disease drugs often result in catastrophic out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) for households, pushing vulnerable families into poverty. - The state's proposal highlights the limitation of current price caps which cover only a fraction of critical care therapies, emphasizing the need for wider inclusion in the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) or separate price ceilings. - Addressing drug affordability is critical to achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and reducing financial hardships associated with marketization of healthcare. **Key Statutory Bodies, Acts & Concepts** - **National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA):** An independent regulatory body under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers responsible for fixing and revising the prices of pharmaceutical products and enforcing the DPCO in India. - **Drug Prices Control Order (DPCO):** An order issued by the central government under the Essential Commodities Act to regulate and fix the ceiling prices of essential and life-saving drugs in India. - **National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM):** A curated list of medicines considered basic, cost-effective, and vital for the healthcare needs of the population, formulated by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.