Government has exempted customs duty on Cancer medicines to improve the affordability of these drugs. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the exemption of three additional cancer medicines from customs duty in the proposed Union Budget 2024-25 in Parliament yesterday. These medicine are Trastuzumab Deruxtecan for Breast Cancer, Osimertinib for Lung Cancer and Durvalumab for Lung Cancer and Biliary Tract Cancer. Union Health Ministry said, 27 lakh cancer patients in the country will benefit from this decision.
The Ministry said, the Finance Minister also revised the custom duty rates on X-ray tubes and flat panel detectors. These revised rates are expected to positively impact the X-ray machine industry by enhancing component availability at lower costs.