Budget 2024: Cancer drugs like Trastuzumab Deruxtecan, Osimertinib, Durvalumab get customs duty relief
Budget 2024: According to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's announcement, the basic customs tax exemption for three cancer treatment drugs will be included in the budget for 2024.
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FollowThe Union government has maintained its focus on combating noncommunicable diseases and allocating funds for healthcare research, with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announcing customs duty exemptions on three cancer treatment drugs on July 23: Trastuzumab Deruxtecan, Osimertinib, and Durvalumab. Addressing the Budget speech here, FM Sitharaman said, “To provide relief to cancer patients, I propose to fully exempt three more medicines from customs duties. I also propose changes in the BCD on x-ray tubes & flat panel detectors for use in medical x-ray machines…”
"Trastuzumab Deruxtecan, Osimertinib, and Durvalumab are three cancer drugs used extensively for chemotherapy. These drugs earlier had a custom duty or import tax of 10%. With the Union Budget 2024, this tax will be exempted, providing relief to patients struggling with huge financial burdens during their cancer care journey.
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Trastuzumab Deruxtecan is a commonly used drug for breast cancer patients, but its high cost makes it non-affordable to many patients. Thus, the majority of middle-class and poor patients have to depend only on chemotherapy. Trastuzumab is now also being used for cancers of the stomach, colon, and various other cancers.
Osimertinib is a wonderful drug used in treating metastatic and advanced lung cancer. It has minimal side effects compared to chemotherapy, making patients comfortable as they can take it at home and continue treatment with a better quality of life.
The third drug – Durvalumab is an immunotherapy drug that acts against the PDL1 receptor. Nowadays, immunotherapy is gaining prominence, and Durvalumab has been proven to be beneficial in treating bladder or urothelial cancer, as well as advanced biliary cancers. Unfortunately, the majority of the time immunotherapy is not affordable to even upper-class people due to its high cost, posing a significant challenge for cancer patients.
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Thus, the proposal to exempt custom duty from these 3 cancer drugs is going to be a big boon for our cancer patients."
-Dr. Rajashekar C Jaka, Consultant - Surgical Oncology and Robotic Surgery, Manipal Hospital Whitefield, Jayanagar and Malleshwaram
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