TOP 5 HEALTH LAWS AND POLICY UPDATES

Dear Readers, we are happy to share the most interesting legal and policy updates concerning health industry that we read today. we hope you enjoy reading it.

1. The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has directed the cosmetics industry to follow regulatory protocols and warned them against making “unusual and misleading claims” about the product that may overlap with the pharmaceutical sector. During a meeting with the cosmetics industry, the industry stakeholders sought relaxation of strict regulations for imported cosmetics, citing frequent custom rejections and significant financial losses.
Source: bit.ly/4eBnhBK

2. The Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) has announced the implementation of the Pharmacovigilance Guidance Document for Marketing Authorization Holders (MAHs). Version 2.0, will be effective from 1st February 2025. The document aims to strengthen the pharmacovigilance systems of MAHs in India.
Source: bit.ly/4hRV1xH

3. The Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) has directed all registered pharmacists to verify their profiles on DIGI-PHARMed portal with their Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) numbers within 45 days. This verification aims to integrate pharmacists with the Healthcare Professional Registry (HPR).
Source: bit.ly/4fOxgVk

4. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning to an Indian pharmaceutical company for manipulating product data, reports, and relevant details, as well as violating Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) regulations for finished pharmaceuticals.
Source: bit.ly/491sW2M
Source: bit.ly/4i249j5

5. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning to a Chinese drugmaker for restricting investigators’ access to its facility and records, as well as limiting photography during a recent inspection. The manufacturer received a warning letter outlining significant violations of Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) guidelines for finished pharmaceuticals.
Source: bit.ly/491sW2M
Source: bit.ly/4i249j5

TOP 5 HEALTH LAWS AND POLICY UPDATES

Dear Reader, We are happy to share the most interesting legal and policy updates concerning health industry that we read today. We hope you enjoy reading it.

Indian government intends to create a new AI law to protect news publishers’ rights
The Indian government plans to introduce a new artificial intelligence (AI) law that will safeguard the rights of news publishers and content creators while also minimizing harm to users. The new law will reportedly also have provisions for sharing the ‘proceeds’ among news publishers, content creators and AI-enabled technologies.
Source: bit.ly/4aF3DmM

Decrees from civil courts may be legally binding on criminal court in the matter of sentences and damages
The Supreme Court of India has held that while the outcome of civil law proceedings would not command the results of criminal law proceedings, they would have a significant influence on the latter while considering sentences or damages in such proceedings. However, such influence will operate only to the extent of holding the sentences or damages arising out of criminal proceedings as unsustainable in law.
Source: bit.ly/4aHiUmX

FDI inflow in pharma sector declines for FY 2023-24
The Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) equity inflow into the pharmaceutical sector has reportedly seen a decline of fifty percent (50%) in the first nine months of the Fiscal Year 2023-24 as compared to Fiscal Years 2022-23. The decline in FDI inflow during the FY 2023-24 comes after a significant growth of 45% reported for the 12 months ending in March, 2023.
Source: bit.ly/4aFlQ3F

DTAB plans to mandate free medicine from pharma companies as part of CSR
The Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB) plans to amend the Drugs Rules, 1945 to include a requirement for pharmaceutical companies to donate at least one percent (1%) of their net profits to the distribution of free medications in medicine banks which will then be used by the Central and State governments at times of illness, calamity, or any other situation, as per necessity. A comparable amendment was proposed by DTAB in 2018 as well, however, it was only voluntarily implemented during that year. DTAB is a committee constituted by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) entrusted to make policy decisions and send recommendations to the government of India in relation to technical aspects of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act and Rules. 
Source: bit.ly/3J4K8sb

Government introduces Ayushman Bharat Health Accounts to digitize health records
The Indian Government has introduced the Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) as part of its national healthcare scheme, aiming to digitize health records with unique account numbers and to enhance fund accessibility, medical transparency and easy upkeep of medical records. ABHA will be used by government hospitals, however, private hospitals will have the option to use ABHA for the creation and linking of health records making it non-binding at present.
Source: bit.ly/49nSHsM