Government-owned HLL Lifecare Ltd (HLL) will establish and run AMRIT Pharmacy at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
The pharmacy, to be inaugurated on Sunday by Health Minister J P Nadda, will sell drugs and implants at a significant discount on market rates, based on authentic prescriptions from doctors, a company release said.
“To begin with, HLL will dispense 195 oncology drugs, 186 cardiovascular drugs and 148 cardiac implants through AMRIT pharmacy,” HLL Chairman and Managing Director M. Ayyappan said.
He said initially, the pharmacy will retail cancer drugs and by the month-end, it will commence the dispensing of cardiovascular drugs and implants.
Ayyapan said some of the prices of AMRIT Pharmacy drugs are strikingly low. For example, ‘Docetaxel 120mg’ used for chemotherapy cycle will cost Rs 888.75 (93 per cent rebate) for one cycle, when the MRP of the injection is Rs 13,440. Similarly, Caboplatin 450 mg would be sold at Rs 1,316.25, while its MRP is at Rs 2,561.57.
AMRIT (Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants for Treatment) has been conceived to reduce the cost of treating the two health issues -- cancer and cardiovascular- that are on the rise in India, the release added.