Claim: The new government has reduced the price of the cancer vaccine from 76,000 to 370 rupees.
Fact: The National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) clarified that posts in the media claiming a price reduction for the Papaverine cancer vaccine are false. Papaverine is used in heart surgeries, not cancer treatment.
Several social media users and news websites have recently reported that the new government has reduced the price of the cancer vaccine from 76,000 to 370 rupees.
A user shared a post on Facebook in Tamil, explaining scams in the medical field, while also congratulating the current government for their efforts to combat these issues and supporting the initiative. The post included an image of President AKD with the caption: “Cancer injections worth 70,000 given for just 370 rupees. Respect AKD.” Furthermore, the user mentioned in the post that the medicine is identified as Papaverine injection BP 60mg/2ml (anti-cancer drug).
The Madawalaenews website published a news article with the headline: “In the past, medicines provided to cancer patients at a cost of 76,000 rupees are now being provided for 370 rupees; says the Deputy Minister of Health.
Another user with the handle @breakingnewssl3178 shared a video on YouTube of the Deputy Minister of Health speaking, with a caption in Sinhala that reads: “The story of the cancer medicine price dropping from Rs 76,000 to Rs 370 is absolutely correct – Deputy Minister of Health.”
The Newschecker team found similar claims on Facebook and news websites. A few posts can be found here, here, here, here, here, here and here.
Fact Check/Verification
Several posts on social media cited a news article from the ‘Lankadeepa’ website as their source. To verify the authenticity of this claim, we first conducted a search on the Lankadeepa website. We found an article titled ‘We brought a cancer medicine that was priced at Rs. 76,000 for Rs 370,‘ published on Lankadeepa based on a statement shared by Health and Media Deputy Minister Hansak Vijayamuni. However, the name of the specific medicine was not mentioned in the article.
Based on this, we cross-checked the statement made by Health and Media Deputy Minister Hansaka Wijayamuni, but no specific name of the medicine was mentioned in his address. The Minister explained, “Until now, medicines were imported by only one company, resulting in a monopoly. However, the Ministry of Health has now granted permission to other companies to import medicines, leading to a 200% reduction in prices.” He further added, “As a result, a medicine that was priced at 70,000 has now been reduced to 370.”
This helped us understand that Lankadeepa wrongly published the story with the misleading headline: “We brought a cancer medicine that was priced at Rs. 76,000 for Rs. 370,” despite the minister not mentioning any specific medicine in his statement.
Medicine used for heart surgery, not cancer
Furthermore, we checked the claim on social media posts that referred to the vaccine as ‘papaverine.’ Dr Ananda Wijewickrama, Chairman of the National Medicine Regulatory Authority (NMRA), and Dr. Saveen Semage, CEO of NMRA, addressed this issue on Derana TV’s Big Focus program. They clarified that ‘papaverine’ is not a cancer vaccine, as the media reported, but a drug used in heart surgeries.
Dr Semage emphasized that this vaccine has not been purchased for 2025, but added that while the price reduction of the vaccine may seem unusual, it was not false.
Why the big price difference?
The price difference for Papaverine Hydrochloride was exorbitant due to the lack of price controls when it was first sold in 2018 for Rs. 76,000. Dr. Ananda Wijewickrama explained that the medicine was not reviewed against regional prices at that time. After a committee, including a specialist doctor, discovered this pricing discrepancy, the NMRA revised the price to Rs. 370. Health Minister Nalinda Jayathissa and Deputy Minister Hansaka Wijemuni clarified that between 2019 and 2023, the government spent Rs. 342.49 million on the medicine, with prices ranging from Rs. 34,000 to Rs. 76,000 (2018: 76,500; 2019: 34,000; 2020: 35,000; 2021: 41,000; 2022: 72,500; 2023: 50,776). They also noted that price reviews and regional price comparisons are now part of the process to prevent such issues. Additionally, the standard cost for this drug in 2024 is Rs. 81,327.44, as listed in the ‘Estimated Item List with Specification – Year 2024’ on the Medical Supplies Division website.
What is the current price of papaverine?
Dr. Saveen Semage stated that this vaccine has not been purchased for 2025. While the price reduction may seem unusual, he clarified that it is not false. Deputy Minister Hansaka Wijemuni also confirmed, while addressing the state media, that the current price of Papaverine is Rs. 370.
We also tried to find the current price of Papaverine Hydrochloride on pharmacy websites, including the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation of Sri Lanka, but the drug was not available on any of the sites.
Furthermore, we contacted the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation to inquire about the current price, and they advised us to check with Osusala. However, when we reached out to Osusala, they informed us that the drug was not available, and that the price will depend on the new stock.
Conclusion
The news claiming that the government reduced the price of a cancer vaccine from 76,000 to 370 rupees is misleading. The National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) and the Ministry of Health clarified that Papaverine, not a cancer vaccine, is used in heart surgeries. They also explained that previous governments imported medicines through a single distributor without tenders, leading to inflated prices. The current price reduction is part of efforts to dismantle monopolies and encourage market competition.
Result: Missing Context
Our Sources
News video of Deputy Minister of Health and Media, Hansaka Wijemuni’s statement on the price reduction of medicine, posted on the Hiru TV YouTube channel, dated January 20, 2025.
Video of Dr. Ananda Wijewickrama, Chairman of the NMRA, discussing his statement on this issue, published on the ITN YouTube channel, dated January 21, 2025.
Video of the Chairman and CEO of the NMRA providing clarification on this issue during the Derana Big Focus program, posted on the Ada Derana YouTube channel, dated January 20, 2025.
News video about the Cabinet press conference on the Ada Derana YouTube channel, dated January 21, 2025.
News video of Deputy Minister of Health and Media, Hansaka Wijemuni’s statement, posted on the Rupavahini News YouTube channel, dated January 20, 2025.
The official website of the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation of Sri Lanka.
Website of the Medical Supplies Division.
Statement from the Rajya Osusala (SPC).
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