NEW DELHI New Delhi: Welcoming the GST Council’s decision to cut tax rates on essential cancer drugs, experts on Tuesday said it is a significant move and will make life-saving medicines more affordable and accessible to patients.In a significant development for cancer patients across India, the GST Council at its 54th meeting held in New Delhi on Monday evening decided to reduce the GST rate on key cancer drugs, including trastuzumab deruxtecan, osimertinib and durvalumab, from 12 per cent to 5 per cent.
“This move is a significant step towards making life-saving treatment more affordable for patients battling cancer,” Dr Pritam Kataria, Medical Oncology Consultant, Sir H.N. Reliance Foundation Hospital, told IANS.
“With the significant rise in cancer cases, this is a welcome move and will further boost patients’ confidence in the treatment system,” he added. Cancer treatment can be expensive due to the long-term treatment and high cost of medicines, especially in cases where the drug needs to be imported such as in the case of immunotherapy or targeted therapy.
“The reduction in GST will allow more patients to receive standard care in India. With the advent of new treatments, the side effects of treatment will be reduced and there will be better response, leading to better outcomes in the patient,” Kataria said. The three drugs – trastuzumab deruxtecan is used for breast cancer, osimertinib is a drug for lung cancer with EGFR mutation, and durvalumab is for lung and biliary tract cancer. The deruxtecan drug can be used in all cancers with ER2 positive genes. The government had also exempted customs duty on these three cancer drugs in the Union Budget 2024-25.
“We welcome the GST Council’s decision to reduce GST on cancer drugs to 5 per cent. With the rising burden of chronic diseases in India, this is a step towards making life-saving medicines accessible and improving health outcomes,” said Sudarshan Jain, secretary general of the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance. “This much-needed GST reduction can improve access to advanced cancer treatments, reduce the financial burden on patients and their families, and potentially improve treatment outcomes by allowing more patients to benefit from these drugs,” Dr Ashish Gupta, medical oncologist and head of medical oncology at Unique Hospital Cancer Centre in New Delhi, told IANS.
