Finance Minister announced reduction of duty on medicines from 10% to zero
Finance Minister: Finance Minister: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday announced full exemption from customs duty on three drugs used in the treatment of cancer – trastuzumab deruxtecan, osimertinib and durvalumab. “To provide relief to cancer patients, I propose to make three more drugs completely free from customs duty,” Sitharaman said while presenting the Union Budget. She made the declaration of reduction of duty from 10 per cent to zero. Last year, the government had exempted pembrolizumab (Keytruda), used in the treatment of various types of cancer, from basic customs duty. All these drugs are used to treat serious cancers. While trastuzumab deruxtecan is used to treat breast and colon cancers, osimertinib treats specific types of lung cancer. Durvalumab treats several small and non-small cell bile duct, endometrial, liver and lung cancers.
The three drugs are manufactured by British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.
Trastuzumab deruxtecan is sold under the brand name Enhertu at around Rs 3 lakh per vial, while osimertinib’s Tagrisso brand is sold for Rs 1.51 lakh for 10 tablets. Imfinzi brand durvalumabs is sold at Rs 45,500 per injection vial.
According to oncologists, exempting these drugs from basic customs duty will reduce their import cost, making them more affordable for patients.
“This can improve access to advanced cancer therapies, reduce the financial burden on patients and their families and allow more patients to benefit from these effective therapies,” said Dr Mandeep Singh Malhotra, director of surgical oncology at CK Birla Hospital, Delhi.
Dr DS Negi, CEO of Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute and Research Centre, described the move as a “significant step” towards making essential cancer treatment more accessible and affordable to patients across India. “The high cost of cancer drugs has been a major deterrent for many patients, and this waiver will undoubtedly provide much-needed financial relief to those battling the disease,” he said.
Customs duty exemption for X-ray tubes and flat panel detectors
The minister also announced a gradual change in customs duty on X-ray tubes and flat panel detectors for use in medical X-ray machines.
“I also propose a change in the basic customs duty on X-ray tubes and flat panel detectors for use in medical X-ray machines under a phased manufacturing programme to synchronise them with domestic capacity,” he said. The move was lauded by domestic medical device manufacturers. “We are grateful to the government for reducing the duty on import of X-ray equipment components till they are produced in India,” said Rajiv Nath, forum convener of the Association of Indian Medical Devices Industry (AiMeD).
“This allows for continued investment in our efforts to become a global X-ray equipment manufacturing hub,” he said.
