36 Essential Drugs Become Cheap with Budget 2025, See Full List
New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced on Saturday that 36 life-saving drugs will be fully exempt from Basic Customs Duty (BCD) under the Union Budget 2025. These include essential medicines used to treat cancer, rare diseases, and other chronic ailments.
During her budget speech, Sitharaman emphasized the government's commitment to making critical treatments more affordable. Additionally, the exemption will extend to 37 more medicines under patient assistance programs, ensuring free-of-cost access for eligible patients.
Key Healthcare Announcements in Budget 2025:
Customs Duty Exemption on 36 Life-Saving Drugs
Medicines for cancer and rare diseases will now be fully exempt from customs duty to reduce treatment costs.
Concessional Duty on Six Essential Drugs
A 5% concessional customs duty will be applied to six more life-saving drugs.
Expansion of Patient Assistance Programs
The government has added 37 new drugs and 13 patient assistance programs under full duty exemption.
200 Cancer Daycare Centers
The government will establish 200 cancer daycare centers in government hospitals across all districts within three years.
Sitharaman stated, "To provide relief to patients suffering from cancer, rare diseases, and severe chronic conditions, I propose to exempt 36 life-saving drugs from Basic Customs Duty. Additionally, six life-saving medicines will attract a concessional 5% duty. These exemptions will also apply to bulk drugs used in manufacturing these medicines."
List of 36 Life-Saving Drugs Exempt from Customs Duty:
S. No. | Drug Name |
1 | Onasemnogene abeparvovec |
2 | Asciminib |
3 | Mepolizumab |
4 | Pegylated Liposomal Irinotecan |
5 | Daratumumab |
6 | Daratumumab (subcutaneous) |
7 | Teclistamab |
8 | Amivantamab |
9 | Alectinib |
10 | Risdiplam |
11 | Obinutuzumab |
12 | Polatuzumab vedotin |
13 | Entrectinib |
14 | Atezolizumab |
15 | Spesolimab |
16 | Velaglucerase Alpha |
17 | Agalsidase Alfa |
18 | Rurioctocog Alpha Pegol |
19 | Idursulphatase |
20 | Alglucosidase Alfa |
21 | Laronidase |
22 | Olipudase Alfa |
23 | Tepotinib |
24 | Avelumab |
25 | Emicizumab |
26 | Belumosudil |
27 | Miglustat |
28 | Velmanase Alfa |
29 | Alirocumab |
30 | Evolocumab |
31 | Cystamine Bitartrate |
32 | CI-Inhibitor injection |
33 | Inclisiran |
34 | Agalsidase Beta |
35 | Imiglucerase |
36 | Eptacog Alfa (activated recombinant coagulation factor VIIa) |
These medicines will also be fully exempt from customs duty, ensuring they remain available at no cost to eligible patients. Some of the key drugs include:
Pembrolizumab (MSD Pharmaceuticals) – Cancer immunotherapy
Lorlatinib (Pfizer) – Lung cancer treatment
Mepolizumab (GSK Pharmaceuticals) – Severe asthma treatment
Alectinib (Roche) – Lung cancer treatment
Amivantamab (Johnson & Johnson) – Non-small cell lung cancer
Teclistamab (Johnson & Johnson) – Multiple myeloma
Daratumumab + Hyaluronidase-fihj (Johnson & Johnson) – Multiple myeloma
Cetuximab (Merck) – Head and neck cancer
Atezolizumab (Roche) – Immunotherapy for multiple cancers
Faricimab (Roche) – Treatment for diabetic macular edema
Brentuximab Vedotin (Takeda) – Lymphoma treatment
Boost to Pharma Manufacturing
To support India's Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative, customs duty exemptions will also apply to bulk drug imports for manufacturing these medicines. This will reduce production costs and enhance domestic availability.
Changes in Medical Equipment Import Duty
As part of efforts to strengthen India's healthcare infrastructure, Sitharaman also proposed changes in the basic customs duty structure for medical equipment. X-ray tubes and flat panel detectors used in medical X-ray machines will be covered under a phased manufacturing program to align with domestic capacity. The revised duty structure aims to boost local production and reduce dependency on imports.
The new exemptions will come into effect from February 2, 2025, providing immediate relief to patients and strengthening India’s pharmaceutical sector.
