Ashish Kumar
3 Oct • 4:01 PM · SEBI-Registered Analyst
Supreme Court Scrutiny on Medicine Mark-ups
Hospital stocks remain in the spotlight after the Supreme Court raised sharp concerns over steep mark-ups on medicines sold to patients at private hospitals. A bench flagged a cancer drug supplied to retailers at around ₹2,700 but carrying an MRP of ₹27,000 — nearly a tenfold difference — and questioned why the existing 16% trade margin cap on scheduled drugs has not been extended to non-scheduled medicines that dominate the market. The court also directed the Centre to examine practices compelling patients to buy from in-house or designated hospital pharmacies. The matter is listed for further hearing on October 12.
The remarks triggered a sharp sell-off, with the BSE Hospitals Index falling about 5% and chains such as


