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 central food authority, FSSAI has notified the Food Safety and Standards (Vegan Foods) Amendment Regulations, 2026 which introduces revised official logo specifications for approved vegan food products, replacing the 2022 framework. Mandating the updated logo on all approved packages, the new requirements will take effect from July 1, 2027, offering businesses a transition period for packaging updates.
Source: shortlink.uk/1qVzx

2. The Department of Consumer Affairs has amended the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011, allowing importers to make mandatory declarations at bonded warehouses of Tier-2 and Tier-3 Authorised Economic Operators. The amendments also require disclosure of the director responsible for violations, mandate annual updates of registration details, and clarify that registration certificates will remain valid until cancelled.
Source: shortlink.uk/1qVzz

3. The Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) has launched a centralized online patient feedback system across its hospitals and dispensaries to strengthen patient-centric healthcare delivery and improve service quality. The digital platform enables beneficiaries to submit feedback on various aspects of healthcare services, including medical care, staff behaviour, cleanliness, waiting time, and overall patient experience. The initiative aims to facilitate real-time monitoring of patient satisfaction, enhance accountability, and support timely resolution of grievances.
Source: shortlink.uk/1wkLy

4. The Delhi High Court has allowed pharmaceutical company to continue selling its cancer drug Bevatas, overturning an earlier order. The court ruled that Bevatas and Bevetex are sufficiently distinct in appearance, pronunciation and use, making consumer confusion unlikely and permitting continued sales.
Source: shortlink.uk/1wkLD

5. The National Medical Commission has issued an advisory directing all medical colleges to mandatorily implement safe injection practices, including exclusive use of sterile single-use needles and syringes, strict infection prevention measures, proper biomedical waste disposal, periodic staff training, and prompt reporting of needle-stick injuries to prevent the transmission of blood-borne infections such as HIV, Hepatitis B (HBV), and Hepatitis C (HCV).
Source: shortlink.uk/1wkLF

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 Supreme Court has held that access to trauma care is a fundamental right under Article 21, directing all States and UTs to unify emergency helplines under 112, establish trauma registries, operationalise cashless treatment for road accident victims, and enforce ambulance tracking standards within set timelines. The ruling significantly expands constitutional obligations on healthcare infrastructure, emergency services, insurers, and public health governance across India. It also needs to have physical and digital grievance redressal systems for good samaritans. This classification is not restricted to national highways but extends to state highways and district roads too.
Source: shortlink.uk/1qB9n

2. The government has reportedly referred 27 doctors to the National Medical Commission (NMC) for disciplinary action in connection with a pharmaceutical freebies case involving sponsored foreign trips under the guise of rendering of knowledge dissemination service. The matter relates to alleged acceptance of luxury travel and hospitality benefits linked to pharmaceutical promotional activities, with State Medical Councils now expected to examine the cases pursuant to violation of MCI Code of Ethics. The development intensifies scrutiny around pharma-doctor engagement practices, and enforcement of professional conduct regulations within the healthcare sector.
Source: shortlink.uk/1vZFF

3. The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) initiated regulatory action against unauthorized online sale of hazardous chemicals like ammonium nitrate, PETN, gun powder, and picric acid. Notices were issued to e-commerce platforms, seller details shared with PESO, and platforms began delisting products to ensure consumer safety and compliance
Source: shortlink.uk/1vZFK

4. Pharmaceutical manufacturers are increasingly focusing on contamination control infrastructure, particularly Air Handling Unit (AHU) filter maintenance systems, to support compliance with revised Schedule M requirements. Industry experts note that heightened regulatory expectations around hygiene, traceability, cross-contamination prevention, and cleanroom maintenance are driving interest in automated AHU filter cleaning and maintenance technologies.
Source: shortlink.uk/1vZFU

5. Government of India is reportedly planning to launch a dedicated childhood cancer registry which aims to systematically collect data on cancer cases in children in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). India records around seventy-five thousand new cancer cases annually, many detected late. The government plans awareness, data collection, and collaborations to improve early diagnosis and treatment outcomes.
Source: shortlink.uk/1qB8R

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.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has placed Pregabalin under Schedule H1 of the Drugs Rules, 1945, amid concerns over its rising misuse for sedative, euphoric, and dissociative effects, particularly among youth. The move seeks to strengthen regulatory control by restricting over-the-counter access and ensuring sale only against valid prescriptions with stricter monitoring and record-keeping requirements.
Source: shortlink.uk/1vI8d

India’s Madras High Court ruled that a mother need not undergo DNA testing to donate a kidney to her son when official records establish their biological relationship. The court set aside the transplant approval rejection and directed authorities to permit the donation immediately. This humanitarian interpretation reinforces that documentation standards should prioritise life saving procedures over rigid procedural requirements, potentially influencing future authorization committee decisions on donor recipient relationships.
Source: shortlink.uk/1vI8z

India’s central food authority is moving towards a centralised food surveillance system deploying third party agencies for sample collection, centralised laboratory testing, and digital alerts for faster regulatory action. The framework requires 50% of samples from organised supply chains. The shift signals a technology driven overhaul of food safety governance, raising compliance and traceability expectations for manufacturers, retailers, and supply chain operators.
Source: shortlink.uk/1vI8l

4. Global pharmaceutical companies are increasingly shifting high-value clinical research, regulatory, pharmacovigilance, and innovation-led functions to India as the country evolves from a low-cost outsourcing destination into a strategic global research and development hub. The shift could accelerate investments in clinical research infrastructure, advanced therapies, AI-enabled drug development, and specialised talent while strengthening India’s competitiveness as a global life sciences and biotech hub.
Source: shortlink.uk/1qk9u

5. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has rejected allegations of monopoly and excessive pricing against 12 private hospitals in Delhi, ruling that higher prices alone do not prove abuse of dominance. The regulator found hospitals operated within competition norms, allowed external procurement, and charged within MRP, dismissing decade-long complaints.
Source: shortlink.uk/1vI8q

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. Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has rejected a cosmetics import registration certificate and barred the importer from seeking fresh registrations for one year over alleged submission of fabricated documents under the Cosmetics Rules, 2020. The move underscores stricter regulatory scrutiny and tougher enforcement of compliance standards in India’s cosmetics import sector.
Source: shortlink.uk/1vfpf

2. India’s Punjab and Haryana High Court has upheld the conviction of a clinic owner under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act 1994, observing that lapses in maintaining mandatory records, including Form ‘F’, cannot be treated as minor procedural defects. The Court emphasized that proper documentation is central to enforcement of the PCPNDT framework aimed at preventing female foeticide and preserving regulatory oversight of diagnostic practices. This is important as the ruling reinforces strict compliance expectations for clinics, diagnostic centres, and healthcare establishments operating under the PCPNDT regime. The judgment signals that deficiencies in statutory records may attract penal consequences even where procedural irregularities in inspection or search are alleged.
Source: shortlink.uk/1vfr5

3. Parliamentary Standing Committee has reportedly recommended expansion of Regional Raw Drug Repositories under the National Medicinal Plants Board, particularly in biodiversity-rich regions, to support documentation, authentication, conservation, and sustainable utilisation of medicinal plants used in Ayush systems. The recommendation reflects continued policy attention toward strengthening medicinal plant infrastructure and raw material quality within the herbal and phytopharmaceutical ecosystem.
Source: shortlink.uk/1pTkP

4. The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) of India has launched a probe into the online sale of an allegedly unregistered herbicide on major e-commerce platforms, citing concerns over regulatory non-compliance and inadequate product disclosures. The action underscores rising scrutiny of hazardous products sold online and may push platforms to strengthen seller verification and compliance mechanisms.
Source: shortlink.uk/1vfpx

5. The Bombay High Court held that although infringement relief was unavailable in the “OCTRIDE” and “OTIDE” dispute due to both marks being registered, passing off protection could still be granted under common law. The Court cited the marks phonetic similarity, the Plaintiff’s prior goodwill and market reputation, and the heightened risk of confusion in pharmaceutical products.
Source: shortlink.uk/1pTl0