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. India’s apex consumer court, the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC), has discharged a Kerala hospital and its doctor from allegations of negligence in an IVF case. The complainants had claimed that procedural lapses led to the failure of the treatment, but the commission found no evidence to support these claims and dismissed the charges.
Source: bit.ly/4fqZkxk

2. The Madhya Pradesh Medical Council reportedly proposes to introduce a system for renewing the doctor’s registration every five years. This will help track how many doctors are still in the state, how many have moved abroad, and how many passed away. The said measure aims to keep the medical registry updated and to ensure compliance with current medical standards.
Source: bit.ly/3ZU6XHX

3. The Delhi High Court has directed the Delhi Medical Council to ensure that patients can access doctor’s qualifications and mandated the public display of credentials. This decision addresses rising concerns about unqualified practitioners and delays in the verification process, aiming to enhance transparency and patient safety in healthcare.
Source: bit.ly/3VFWc9Q

4. India’s central food regulator, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), has released an updated list of recognized food testing laboratories, detailing their NABL accreditation validity as of December 12, 2024. These laboratories are authorized to analyze food samples under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. The list includes validity details and contact information for laboratories in the Northern Region, with recognition guidelines governed by FSSAI’s directives.
Source: bit.ly/3ZREIK5

5. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has released a draft of Solid Waste Management Rules, 2024, to address unmanaged solid waste. The draft rules, published on December 9, 2024, will require compliance from various waste generators, including hotels and institutions, and will come into effect on October 1, 2025. The public is invited to submit objections or suggestions regarding the proposed rules by February 7, 2025.
Source: bit.ly/4fgKzw

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.

E-Commerce websites instructed to avoid marketing Milk/ cereal/ malt based drinks as “Energy Drinks”
India’s Food Standards Regulator (the Food Safety Standards Authority of India) has issued an advisory to e-commerce websites, requiring them to ensure that proprietary foods, i.e. foods that are not categorized under the Food Standards Regulations, specifically those currently registered as analogues to milk/ cereal/ malt based beverage, should not be advertised as “Health Drink”/ “Energy Drink”, as only carbonated/ non-carbonated water-based flavoured drinks are regulated as “Health Drink” and “Energy Drink”.
Source: bit.ly/3xlfzvD

Drug Price Regulator may examine prevalent drug substitution and discounting prices offered by major drug retail stores in India
The Indian Central Drugs Regulator (CDSCO) has reportedly requested the Central Drugs Price Regulatory Body (NPPA) to investigate drug substitution and discounting practices of a major pharmacy chain on the basis a complaint raised by State Chemists and Druggists’ Association of the State of Karnataka (KCDA). In its complaint, the KCDA has alleged that the major pharmacy chain has been deliberately undercutting prices, sustained by substitution of prescribed drugs with other cheaper but identical formulations and unreasonably increasing its profit margins, which is currently violative of regulations applicable to pharmacists, as well as pricing norms of drugs.
Source: bit.ly/4cJSJOg

Vaccine manufacturers may have to provide manufacturing and sales data to government soon
The advisory body to India’s Central Drugs Regulator, the Drugs Consultative Committee, has requested various State-level Drug Licensing Authorities to ensure submission of details of the manufacture and sale of vaccines within the states to the Central Drugs regulator (Central Drugs Standards Control Organization), for the purpose of meeting obligation for the Global Benchmarking of Vaccines of the World Health Organization.
Source: bit.ly/3PJkAEw

Major Ayurvedic Medicine manufacturer may be on hook for contempt of court after Supreme Court rejects its apology for publishing misleading advertisements
In its ongoing proceedings against a major Ayurvedic medicine manufacturer for publication of misleading advertisements in contravention of undertaking given by it to the Supreme Court, the Court has refused to accept the apology which was tendered by the manufacturer, and rejected submissions of the manufacturer that: (1) The restriction on advertisement under the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954 is archaic and may be relaxed since the manufacturer now has scientific data to back its claims, and (2) that the manufacturer should not be held liable for an advertisement issued by an independent marketing department.
Source: bit.ly/4akJen5

Australia updates Medical Device Recall Procedure
The Australian Therapeutics Goods Administration, which regulates medical devices at the central level in the country, has published a revised version of the Uniform Recall Procedure for Therapeutic Goods (URPTG), which relaxes regulatory burden of importers and manufacturers of medical devices. The revised URPTG provides additional clarity on procedure for immediate recall, clarifying timing of release of recall information by the regulator, modifying Customer Response Forms, and eases the filing requirements under the law by making all templates for recall action publicly available on the website of regulator.
Source: bit.ly/3TAZJEo