Medicine Prices Up From 1 April 2026: NPPA WPI Revision

Yes. Ceiling prices of price-controlled (scheduled) medicines can rise by about 0.65 percent from 1 April 2026, after the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) issued order S.O. 1575(E) on 25 March 2026 allowing the annual Wholesale Price Index (WPI) revision under the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013. If your chemist charges more than the new printed ceiling price, you can check the correct rate and complain, for free, using the steps below.

This is the part that protects your wallet. The yearly WPI revision is tiny this year, so any large jump on your bill is a red flag worth checking. Follow these steps before you pay or soon after.

1. Read the printed price on the strip or box. Every scheduled (price-controlled) medicine must carry a Maximum Retail Price (MRP) that is at or below the NPPA ceiling price. The retailer cannot charge above that printed MRP. Keep the bill.
2. Look up the official ceiling price. Open the NPPA Pharma Sahi Daam app (free, on Google Play) or the NPPA website and search the brand or molecule. It shows the government ceiling price for scheduled drugs and the listed MRP for non-scheduled ones, so you can compare against your bill.
3. Compare and calculate the overcharge. If the price you paid is higher than the ceiling price (for scheduled medicines) or higher than the allowed yearly increase (for non-scheduled medicines), note the difference. The manufacturer or retailer is liable to refund the overcharged amount with interest, plus penalty.
4. Complain to NPPA on Pharma Jan Samadhan. File a free complaint on the NPPA Pharma Jan Samadhan portal at nppa.gov.in/pharmajansamadhan, or call the consumer helpline 1800-111-255 (working days, 10am to 6pm), or email [email protected]. Attach the bill and a photo of the printed MRP.
5. Use the National Consumer Helpline as a parallel route. You can also dial 1915 (the National Consumer Helpline, 8am to 8pm) or escalate to a consumer commission if the seller refuses to refund.

NPPA fixes a ceiling price for medicines on the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM). These are the “scheduled” formulations. Once a year, under Paragraph 16(2) of the DPCO, 2013, manufacturers may raise those ceiling prices in line with the change in the annual Wholesale Price Index. For the calendar year 2025 over 2024 that change is 0.64956 percent, which is why the headline is “about 0.65 percent”.

In rupee terms the rise is small. On a Rs 100 strip the ceiling can move by roughly 65 paise; on a Rs 500 medicine, by about Rs 3.25. So if your bill suddenly jumps by 10, 20 or 50 percent on a price-controlled medicine, the WPI revision does not explain it, and you should check the ceiling price before paying.

The revision covers hundreds of scheduled formulations on the NLEM. (Reports cite different totals, so this guide does not print a single count.) It took effect from 1 April 2026 and lets manufacturers revise prices up to the new ceiling without seeking fresh approval.

The rules differ sharply, so know which bucket your medicine falls in.

Para 20 of the DPCO, 2013 bars a manufacturer from raising the MRP of a non-scheduled formulation by more than 10 percent in the preceding twelve months. Cross this and NPPA can order the excess refunded with interest.

Kashvi Pathak buys a price-controlled antibiotic for her father in Patna. In April 2026 the chemist charged Rs 138 for a strip whose box printed a ceiling MRP of Rs 119. She kept the bill, opened the Pharma Sahi Daam app, confirmed the ceiling price, and filed a complaint on the Pharma Jan Samadhan portal with a photo of the strip and the bill. NPPA registered the grievance and asked the retailer to refund the Rs 19 overcharge with interest. The lesson: the printed MRP on the box, not the counter price the shop quotes, is the legal ceiling.

If a refund is refused, the next step is a consumer complaint. See how to file a consumer court case in India and the practical walkthrough at filing a consumer forum complaint on e-Jagriti.

If a government hospital or a public health centre overcharged you, or you want NPPA's own file on a price-fixing order, an RTI request can pull the paper trail. Draft one quickly with the AI RTI draft tool, and read the National Consumer Helpline 1915 guide for the fastest free complaint route. For the full method, see The RTI Playbook.

No. The WPI revision applies to scheduled (price-controlled) medicines on the National List of Essential Medicines. Their ceiling prices can rise by about 0.65 percent. Non-scheduled medicines follow a separate 10 percent yearly cap under Para 20.

Up to 0.64956 percent, the annual Wholesale Price Index change for 2025 over 2024, under Paragraph 16(2) of the DPCO, 2013. That is roughly 65 paise on a Rs 100 medicine.

It is the NPPA notification dated 25 March 2026 that applies the annual WPI revision to ceiling prices of scheduled formulations, effective 1 April 2026. It lets manufacturers move up to the revised ceiling without fresh approval.

Open the NPPA Pharma Sahi Daam app (free on Google Play) or the NPPA website, search the brand or molecule, and compare the official ceiling price with the MRP on your box and the amount on your bill.

File on the NPPA Pharma Jan Samadhan portal at nppa.gov.in/pharmajansamadhan, call the helpline 1800-111-255, or email [email protected]. You can also dial the National Consumer Helpline on 1915.

Yes. When NPPA confirms overcharging, the manufacturer or retailer is liable to deposit the overcharged amount with interest, in addition to any penalty. Keep the bill and a photo of the printed MRP as evidence.

Scheduled medicines are on the NLEM and carry an NPPA ceiling price that rises only by the WPI each year. Non-scheduled medicines are priced by the manufacturer, who may raise the MRP by up to 10 percent in any 12 months.

Yes. It is a free Government of India app from NPPA, available on Google Play, that lets you search medicine prices and report overcharging.

• NPPA order S.O. 1575(E) dated 25 March 2026, WPI revision under Para 16(2) DPCO 2013, effective 1 April 2026 (nppa.gov.in notifications).
• Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013, Para 16(2) (scheduled, WPI) and Para 20 (non-scheduled, 10 percent yearly cap).
• NPPA Pharma Jan Samadhan grievance portal (nppa.gov.in/pharmajansamadhan) and Pharma Sahi Daam app.
• Press Information Bureau: NPPA monitors scheduled and non-scheduled medicine prices under DPCO 2013.
• National Consumer Helpline 1915 (Department of Consumer Affairs, consumerhelpline.gov.in).