NEW DELHI: In a major relief for cancer patients, the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that three more cancer medicines would be exempted from customs duties.
In her budget speech, the finance minister, said, “To provide relief to cancer patients, I propose to fully exempt three more medicines from customs duties.”
The three medicines are Trastuzumab Deruxtecan, Osimertinib and Durvalumab.
Experts and cancer specialists welcomed the move to exempt the medicines from customs duties, considering the rising incidence of cancer in India.
Dr. Mandeep Singh Malhotra, Director of Surgical Oncology at C K Birla Hospital, Delhi, said, “Exempting these drugs from basic customs duty will lower their import costs, making them more affordable for patients. This 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 effective therapies.”
Dr. Shyam Aggarwal, Chairman, Medical Oncology, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Delhi, added, "All imported life-saving drugs are costly and customs duty exemption is a welcome step. All steps to bring the cost down are more than welcome.”
Noting that cancer poses a significant health burden in India, Dr. P N Arora, Chairman of Yashoda Super Speciality Hospitals Kaushambi, said, “The announcement to exempt three more essential medicines for cancer treatment comes as a big relief for patients."
While welcoming the move, Dr. Pragya Shukla, Head of Department (Clinical Oncology), Delhi State Cancer Institute, said, “There are many more immunotherapy drugs which are needed by our patients. At the same time, we have to develop our indigenous molecules or biosimilars to make these therapies affordable for all classes."
While Transtuzumab Deruxtecan is used for all Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER2) positive solid tumours like breast, lung, and gastric cancers, Osimertinib is being used for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), type of lung cancer.
Durvalumab is used for biliary tract cancer, gallbladder cancer, endometrial cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, non-small cell and small cell lung cancer.
Dr Shukla said these drugs fall under the category of immunotherapy and targeted therapies.
She told The New Indian Express that immunotherapy per se is more effective and less toxic than conventional chemotherapy drugs.
According to a Lancet report, India registered about 1.2 million new cancer cases and 930,000 deaths in 2019, becoming the second-highest contributor to the disease burden in Asia for that year, while the World Health Organisation (WHO) said India reported more than 14 lakh new cancer cases and over 9 lakh deaths due to the disease in 2022.
Sitharaman in her budget speech also announced changes in the Basic Customs Duty (BCD) on X-ray tubes and flat panel detectors used in medical X-ray machines.
“I also propose changes in the BCD on x-ray tubes and flat panel detectors for use in medical x-ray machines under the Phased Manufacturing Programme, to synchronise them with domestic capacity addition,” she added.
Dr. Harsh Mahajan, Founder and Chairman, of Mahajan Imaging and Labs and Chairman FICCI Health Services Committee, said, “Exemption of customs duty on components of X-ray tubes and digital detectors will lead to spurring of indigenous manufacturing of digital X-ray machines in India. Allocation of funds for innovation and skilling will also help those who are working in the healthcare sector."
According to Apollo Hospitals’ recent Health of the Nation 2024 report, by 2025, this number is expected to rise to 15.7 lakhs. The study also said the skyrocketing cases of cancer in India have made it the “cancer capital of the world.”