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 Kerala High Court has held that registered medical practitioners cannot enrol in another profession, including law, without first cancelling their medical registration, observing that mere cessation of medical practice or cancellation of a clinic licence is insufficient. The ruling reinforces restrictions on simultaneous professional practice and clarifies enrolment eligibility requirements under legal and medical professional frameworks.
Source: shortlink.uk/1vtU9

2. Maharashtra plans to replace the Bombay Nursing Homes Act, 1949 with the Clinical Establishment Act, 2025, mandating registration of all healthcare facilities. Defaulters face heavy fines and imprisonment. The law requires transparent fee display, standardized rates, and treatment protocols, though medical associations criticize it as burdensome.
Source: shortlink.uk/1q6ni

3. India is reportedly planning to establish a national registry to track implantable medical devices and the patients receiving them, with the objective of strengthening post-market surveillance, traceability, and patient safety oversight. The proposed framework is expected to cover devices such as cardiac stents, pacemakers, orthopaedic implants, and other high-risk medical devices through a centralised digital monitoring mechanism. The move marks a significant regulatory shift by increasing accountability, improving adverse event monitoring.
Source: shortlink.uk/1vtUh

4. India is reportedly planning to introduce DNA-based testing mechanism to bolster oversight of buffalo meat shipments and identify any illegal mixing of cow meat in export consignments. The initiative seeks to improve traceability across the meat export supply chain, address product authenticity concerns flagged by importing nations, and tighten adherence to export compliance norms. The development points to a broader regulatory push to align India’s meat export ecosystem with rising global standards on food safety and quality assurance. It is likely to raise the compliance bar for exporters, testing laboratories, and processing units operating in this space.
Source: shortlink.uk/1q6nz

5. India’s pharmaceutical industry is reportedly witnessing financial pressure from rising raw material and operational costs alongside weakening export demand in key overseas markets. The combined impact is squeezing profit margins and disrupting growth momentum for drug manufacturers already navigating pricing controls and global market volatility.
Source: shortlink.uk/1q6nJ

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. National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has exempted Nafithromycin 400 mg tablets from price control under DPCO, 2013 for five years. The exemption starts from launch or patent expiry, whichever is earlier. This allows flexible pricing, but the company must report launch date and price details to the authorities
Source: shortlink.uk/1mYOh

2. The Centre has set April 30, 2026 as the final deadline for private hospitals to complete empanelment under the Central Government Health Scheme. Hospitals failing to sign the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) by the deadline will be de-empanelled from May 1, losing eligibility to treat CGHS beneficiaries or submit reimbursement claims.
Source: shortlink.uk/1mYOm

3. US pharmaceutical companies have reportedly opposed price caps imposed by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) of India, seeking blanket exemption for patented medicines. Industry stakeholders argue that current controls reduce prices by nearly 50% post-patent expiry, discouraging innovation and limiting availability of advanced therapies in India.
Source: shortlink.uk/1mYOq

4. The Karnataka Department of Health and Family Welfare, in collaboration with National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, released a draft policy to tackle student mobile addiction. The proposal caps recreational screen time at one hour daily, introduces digital wellness committees, and mandates teacher training and counselling support to address rising mental-health concerns among adolescents.
Source: shortlink.uk/1mYOs

5. India’s Ministry of Finance has reportedly temporarily exempted customs duty on forty petrochemical and chemical inputs until June 30, aiming to stabilise supply chains disrupted by Middle East tensions, ease cost pressures on pharmaceuticals and manufacturing sectors, and support industry facing sharp increases in raw material and packaging costs.
Source: shortlink.uk/1mYOu