# Kerala breast cancer patient joins Ribociclib price case after first petitioner dies 2026-08-22T10:32:57+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet A Kerala lawyer diagnosed with breast cancer in August 2024 has been allowed by the Kerala High Court to join a case demanding affordable access to the breast cancer drug Ribociclib. The original petitioner, who started the case in 2022, died while the case was pending, but the court decided to continue proceedings as the issue affects many patients. The drug, manufactured by Swiss pharma giant Novartis AG, costs around Rs 78,468 per month as cited in court in July 2025. The patient, Majida Abdul Majeed, said the price is far beyond what an ordinary person can afford, and called it a 'life-punishing medicine' due to the financial burden. She has partial insurance and help from friends, but noted many others lack such support. The case seeks government intervention under Sections 92 and 100 of the Patents Act, 1970, to make the drug affordable. The government argues that Palbociclib, which is off-patent and cheaper, is an alternative. The court has sought opinions from cancer institutes and the Drug Controller General of India on whether the two drugs are interchangeable. ## Indian Opinion Analysis This case tests Section 92 of the Patents Act, which allows compulsory licensing of patented drugs in public health emergencies. A similar precedent is the 2012 Natco Pharma case that made Bayer's cancer drug Nexavar available at a fraction of the cost. The court's decision could set a benchmark for access to expensive patented medicines in India. Watch for the cancer institutes' reports on Ribociclib versus Palbociclib, which will heavily influence the outcome. The next hearing date is awaited. ## Coverage - thefederal.com Presents facts and quotes from both the patient and the government without editorial slant, focusing on the litigation process. This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Kerala High Court, Novartis, Ribociclib Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/kerala-breast-cancer-patient-joins-ribociclib-price-case-after-first-petitioner-dies/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/kerala-breast-cancer-patient-joins-ribociclib-price-case-after-first-petitioner-dies/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/