Indian Government Exempts Anti-cancer Drugs from Taxes, Excise Duty

Prices of most of the anti cancer drugs are quite high. In order to reduce the prices of cancer medicines the Government has recommended to the Department of Revenue for Customs and Excise Duty exemption for all anti cancer drugs. Moreover in the proposed Draft National Pharmaceuticals Policy, 2006 it has been proposed, inter-alia, that Government would completely exempt all anti cancer drugs (bulk and formulations) from all types of Central taxes, excise duty, import duty etc, and effort would be made that the benefit would be passed on to the consumers.

Industry and trade would be requested to reduce their margins to the barest minimum level and pass on the benefit to the consumers. A Cancer Medicines Assistance Scheme as a public - private partnership model has also been proposed for providing cheaper medicines to the patients through cancer hospitals.