Price Of Critical SMA Drug May Fall By 90% With Natco’s Generic Launch

Parents of children with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) have welcomed Indian pharmaceutical company Natco’s announcement to launch a generic version of the life-saving drug risdiplam at a fraction of the current cost.

Natco revealed that it plans to price risdiplam at ₹15,900 per 60 mg bottle, a drastic reduction from the ₹2 lakh per bottle charged by Roche, the multinational firm currently supplying the drug in India.

Treatment Costs Could Drop From ₹72 Lakh To ₹5 Lakh Per Year

An adult SMA patient typically requires 2.5 to 3 bottles of risdiplam per month, equating to roughly 30–36 bottles per year.

Based on Natco’s pricing, annual treatment costs could fall to approximately ₹5 lakh, compared to the current cost of ₹72 lakh per year.

A parent of a child with SMA said, “Making this medicine available at a reduced price without compromising efficacy and safety will increase accessibility and be a game changer. It will make a significant difference for patients.”

Legal Battle Could Determine Natco’s Ability To Manufacture

Despite the announcement, Natco’s ability to manufacture risdiplam hinges on the outcome of a legal case filed by Roche. The Delhi High Court’s single bench denied Roche’s plea for an injunction against Natco on March 24.

Roche has since challenged the decision. Natco disclosed this development in a legal update titled ‘Risdiplam launch in India’.

Roche Prices Risdiplam Much Higher In India Compared To Neighbors

SMA patient Seba PA highlighted in her affidavit to the Supreme Court that Roche’s risdiplam sells for approximately ₹44,700 per bottle in China and ₹41,000 in Pakistan—almost 80% lower than the price in India.

Roche currently supplies the drug to Centres of Excellence for Rare Diseases at over ₹2 lakh per bottle. A Yale University drug pricing expert estimated that local production could lower risdiplam’s manufacturing cost to as little as ₹3,000 annually.

Government’s ₹50 Lakh Assistance Inadequate At Current Prices

Under India’s National Rare Diseases Policy, the government provides one-time financial assistance of up to ₹50 lakh per patient registered on its rare disease portal. That amount would not cover even one year of treatment at Roche’s current prices.

However, at Natco’s proposed price, the same funding could support treatment for almost ten years.

Over 1,800 SMA Patients Await Aid; Only A Few Receive Help

While more than 750 SMA patients are registered on the government portal, the parent-run organization Cure SMA has 1,800 patients on its registry. Despite this, only two or three patients have reportedly received government assistance, as stated in Cure SMA’s court intervention.

The Centre had allocated ₹200 crore for rare disease expenditures across 2018–2021, but spent only ₹7 crore.

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