The Supreme Court has asked the Central government and the manufacturer of the drug Risdiplam whether it can be sold at a reduced price in India, considering it is reportedly available at much lower rates in neighboring countries like Pakistan and China. The court raised the question while hearing a plea filed on behalf of a 24-year-old woman from Kerala, Seba, who suffers from spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a rare genetic disorder. Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justices Sanjay Kumar and K V Viswanathan are presiding over the matter, which will be heard again next week.
Senior advocate Anand Grover, representing Seba, informed the court that the drug is priced at around Rs 6 lakh per bottle in India, while in Pakistan and China it costs approximately Rs 41,000 and Rs 45,000, respectively. He suggested that this price difference might be due to the intervention of those governments and argued that India should similarly negotiate with the manufacturer or explore the production of a generic version to reduce costs. Grover emphasized the financial burden on thousands of Indian families dealing with SMA, many of whom cannot even get a proper diagnosis due to inadequate healthcare infrastructure.
The issue arose after the Supreme Court stayed a Kerala High Court order that had directed the Centre to provide Seba with Risdiplam worth Rs 18 lakh, in addition to the Rs 50 lakh already allotted under a Central scheme for rare diseases. The Centre challenged the HC’s decision in the top court, which has now paused its implementation pending further hearings. The SC noted that the request for additional support can still be considered within the legal framework.
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