The Indian government is evaluating a proposal to temporarily increase the prices of select essential medicines by 10-15% to alleviate financial pressures on drug manufacturers. This increase is a response to significant rises in the costs of solvents and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) due to global supply disruptions caused by the ongoing Iran war. Industry executives indicate that consumers could see a 3-5% increase in drug prices, which would bring them closer to levels seen before the recent cuts in Goods and Services Tax (GST) rates. The proposed price hike is expected to remain in effect for 3-4 months, with the possibility of rollback if input costs stabilize. The Department of Pharmaceuticals is considering this measure to ensure the availability of essential medicines, similar to interventions made during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rising costs of critical inputs have been reported, with some materials seeing price increases of 30-100% in recent weeks, prompting concerns about supply continuity in the pharmaceutical sector.