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 Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has published a draft amendment to the Medical Devices Rules, 2017, proposing changes to labelling requirements for non-sterile and non-measuring medical devices, along with other regulatory updates. Stakeholders’ comments are invited within 30 days of publication of the draft Rules.
Source: h7.cl/1ghFK

2. India’s Bureau of Indian Standards has notified IS 19493:2025 on hospital bill formats, effective 8 December 2025. The standard specifies mandatory and optional billing elements for hospitals, nursing homes, diagnostic centres, and outpatient clinics, aiming to ensure uniformity, transparency, prevent overcharging, and improve clarity for patients and insurers nationwide.
Source: h7.cl/1ghFQ

3. The Supreme Court of India has issued notices to the Centre and all states on a PIL seeking to declare cancer a notifiable disease nationwide. The move aims to ensure uniform reporting, strengthen surveillance, and improve early detection and patient care through a centralized digital registry amid fragmented state-level data.
Source: h7.cl/1ghG2

4. A pharmaceutical innovator has appealed a Delhi High Court order permitting an Indian manufacturer to produce and export semaglutide to markets where patent protection has lapsed. The court declined interim relief, allowing exports to continue.
Source: h7.cl/1lb5k

5. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting stated that the Information Technology Rules 2021 safeguard free speech while curbing fake and misleading digital content. Publishers of news must follow a Code of Ethics, intermediaries must prevent false information, and a grievance mechanism and fact checking by Press Information Bureau ensure accountability nationally.
Source: h7.cl/1ghGa

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 Drug authority (CDSCO) is considering a separate wholesale licence for bulk drugs and excipients to distinguish them from APIs and finished formulations. The proposal includes capturing details of wholesalers handling NDPS substances and requiring competent persons to be either science graduates with relevant experience or registered pharmacists, strengthening oversight and regulatory compliance.
Source: h7.cl/1fZHk

2. India’s Drugs Consultative Committee addressed non-compliance issues in hospital blood centres and directed states to strengthen oversight. Key actions include regular inspections with focus on viral marker testing, adherence to NBTC licensing procedures for charitable and voluntary centres, and timely licence renewals. States were urged to ensure strict compliance to maintain a safe blood supply.
Source: h7.cl/1fZHk

3. The Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission will release the tenth edition of the Indian Pharmacopoeia on January 2, 2026, with standards effective from July 1, 2026. The new edition adds 121 monographs, five general chapters, and expanded harmonization to strengthen drug quality and regulatory alignment in India.
Source: h7.cl/1kRtQ

4. The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) imposed a penalty on e-commerce platform for allowing the sale of walkie-talkies without mandatory disclosures on regulatory approvals. This suo motu action stemmed from listings that omitted details on spectrum compliance, frequency usage, potentially misleading consumers about the devices’ legality and exposing them to risks.
Source: h7.cl/1kRwR

5. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has released a comprehensive guide on ticket creation to help producers navigate the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) portal for battery and e-waste management. The guide aims to streamline communication between producers and the regulator for all EPR-related queries.
Source: h7.cl/1fZK0

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 Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) has launched a new online Risk Classification Module for medical devices, excluding IVDs. Effective 27 November 2025, applicants can seek classification for devices not listed in CDSCO’s published list via the portal, simplifying regulatory approvals for Medical Devices.
Source: h7.cl/1kNrH

2. Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and India’s Central Drug authority CDSCO (IVD Division) has jointly developed the MedTech Mitra IVD Innovators Handbook to guide developers through clinical validation. It outlines key milestones, regulatory and ethical expectations, and evidence requirements, helping innovators plan effectively and generate strong clinical data to support the safety and efficacy of their diagnostic products.
Source: h7.cl/1kNrK

3. Rajya Sabha members urged the government to ban misleading surrogate ads promoting tobacco and liquor, citing rising cancer and heart disease cases. During debate on the Central Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2025, they sought stricter controls, awareness campaigns and higher taxes to curb tobacco use and protect public health.
Source: h7.cl/1fVMQ

4. The Delhi High Court has declined to grant injunctive relief against an Semaglutide manufacturer, thereby permitting the manufacture and export of semaglutide to jurisdictions where no valid patent protection subsists. The Court clarified that while export to non-patent markets is permissible, the sale or distribution of the drug within India remains prohibited until expiry of the relevant patent.
Source: h7.cl/1kNrT

5. The Indian government has introduced the Health Security se National Security Cess Bill, 2025, proposing a new cess on the installed machinery or processes used for the manufacture of goods such as pan masala, with scope to include other products in future. The cess will apply across all production methods, machine-based, manual, or hybrid.
Source: h7.cl/1kNrW

TOP 5 HEALTH LAWS & POLICY UPADATES

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 Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has issued a new SOP for using spent acetic acid from 7ADCA and paracetamol manufacturing to produce Pigment Yellow 12. The guideline lays out strict rules for storage, handling, emissions control, wastewater treatment, and record-keeping to ensure the safe and compliant utilization of hazardous waste.
Source: h7.cl/1fJVZ

2. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Chemicals and Fertilisers has reported steep disparities between stockist and retail prices of several non-scheduled drugs, with trade margins reaching 600–1,100%. It has urged the NPPA and Department of Pharmaceuticals to review trade-margin practices and strengthen pricing transparency across the supply chain.
Source: h7.cl/1fJW7

3. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has reportedly directed messaging platforms to implement SIM-binding, linking user accounts to the SIM used during registration. Under this mandate, web-based sessions of messaging platforms will automatically log users out every six hours and require re-authentication.
Source: h7.cl/1kBdb

4. Pune Municipal Corporation has reportedly issued guidelines urging residents to avoid over-the-counter (OTC) antibiotics to combat rising antimicrobial resistance (AMR), aligning with Union government directives. Residents must use antibiotics only with prescriptions and complete full courses, especially during winter.
Source: h7.cl/1kBdk

5. The government of China will reportedly begin charging a 13 % value added tax on condoms and other contraceptives from January, ending a decades-long exemption. The move aims to encourage higher birth rates, but critics warn it could increase unprotected sex and fail to address high child-rearing costs.
Source: h7.cl/1fJWy

TOP 5 HEALTH LAWS & POLICY UPADATES

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 Government of India has notified the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Second Amendment Rules, 2025, effective 1 February 2026. The amendment removes pan masala from an earlier exemption, mandating that all pan masala packages, regardless of size, must fully comply with the standard declaration requirements prescribed under the rules.
Source: h7.cl/1kzQU

2. Central Pollution Control Board has issued a notice allowing plastic packaging producers, importers, and brand owners facing a shortage of Cat II/III recycling certificates to use End-of-Life (EOL) certificates to meet their FY 2024–25 recycling obligations. Now, 1 ton of Cat II/III recycling obligation can be fulfilled using 1.5 tons of EOL certificates.
Source: h7.cl/1kzQI

3. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued draft guidance reducing or eliminating the requirement for non human primate toxicity testing for certain monoclonal-antibody therapies. This change may shorten preclinical timelines and lower costs, while promoting alternative safety evaluation methods.
Source: h7.cl/1fEU5

4. India’s drug regulator has been alerted that fake versions of widely used medicines may be circulating after Puducherry officials seized several suspected counterfeit samples. States and Union Territories have also been asked to maintain “strict vigil” on the movement of these batches of widely popular medicines.
Source: h7.cl/1kw0M

5. The Supreme Court has issued notice to the Union Government on a petition seeking a statutory framework for criminal prosecution in medical negligence cases. The plea highlights that no rules have been created despite the Jacob Mathew judgment in 2005 and urges independent, multi-stakeholder inquiry panels to ensure fair, unbiased investigations.
Source: h7.cl/1fETM

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 Consultative Committee (DCC) has approved a proposal to delete the exemption under Entry 13 of Schedule K for cough syrups. The move follows recent incidents involving deaths linked to contaminated cough syrups.
Source: h7.cl/1ft5I

2. The Drugs Consultative Committee (DCC) has observed gaps in monitoring drug marketers’ responsibility for product quality, safety, and efficacy, as their details are often unavailable for regulatory communication. To enhance accountability, the DCC has recommended amending the Drugs Rules, 1945 to mandate a licensing framework for all drug marketers.
Source: h7.cl/1kjPG

3. India is reportedly planning to introduce a Quality Control Order (QCO) requiring Bureau of Indian Standards compliance for food-processing machinery, aiming to curb unsafe imports, especially from China. The measure seeks to improve equipment reliability, ensure food-grade materials, strengthen domestic manufacturing, and minimise disruption for smaller processors across the industry.
Source: h7.cl/1ft5T

4. The government will reportedly introduce a Bill in the Lok Sabha seeking a new “health & national security” cess to replace the expiring GST compensation cess on cigarettes, pan masala, gutkha and other tobacco products. The aim is to keep overall tax incidence unchanged, sustaining high indirect-tax levels on “sin goods” while tying levy proceeds to public-health and national-security objectives.
Source: h7.cl/1kjPJ

5. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has directed all state and central food-safety authorities to conduct inspections, sampling and testing of roasted chana and similar products following complaints that the banned industrial dye Auramine, which is not permitted under food-safety rules, was being illegally used for colouring. The order mandates action across manufacturing, storage, distribution and e-commerce channels and requires a consolidated compliance report to be submitted within 15 days.
Source: h7.cl/1kjQl

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 drug regulator (CDSCO) has issued a clarification stating that only Indian-issued manufacturing, import, and sale licenses from the Central or State Licensing Authorities as applicable are mandatory for all medical devices in India. Procurement agencies and hospitals must require these licenses in technical bids. Any foreign certifications may be added but cannot replace mandatory Indian approval.
Source: h7.cl/1jTDc

2. India’s pharmaceutical industry is reportedly upgrading quality systems, regulatory alignment and scientific rigour as the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) as tightens requirements for bioavailability and bioequivalence of oral drugs. Post-approval changes now require stronger data, dissolution studies, and risk-based evaluation. The move aligns India with global regulatory expectations and aims to enhance drug reliability, consistency, and overall patient safety.
Source: h7.cl/1jTDs

3. MNC drugmakers are urging CDSCO to grant 10-year regulatory data exclusivity for novel drugs, arguing it will protect first-mover clinical trial data, boost innovation, and attract R&D investment. This follows CDSCO’s sought industry feedback on rules that require the first applicant to conduct clinical trials and bioequivalence studies, while the subsequent filers could skip the trials.
Source: h7.cl/1jTDC

4. Raids by the Kerala Drugs Control Department in Kozhikode, Thrissur and Thiruvananthapuram revealed that discount pharmacies are stocking a wide array of counterfeit and poor-quality medicines, facilitated by weak inspection and unregulated distribution networks. Stakeholders are now urging Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) intervention.
Source: h7.cl/1jTDY

5. The National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories has issued a guidance document to strengthen quality at medical laboratory sample collection centres, outlining requirements, hygiene and transport protocols, temperature control measures, and strict oversight to ensure integrity and reliability of patient test results across all facilities.
Source: h7.cl/1jTEn

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 Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has notified phased enforcement of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023. Implementation will follow a phased timeline of 12-18 months, introducing consent-based processing, mandatory breach reporting, children’s safeguards, expanded data rights, and a digital-only Data Protection Board, marking the structured rollout of India’s data protection framework.
Source: minilink.pro/1jA7S

2. India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has recently notified the Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025. The rules mandate clear consent, breach reporting, children’s data safeguards, and a digital-only Data Protection Board. Compliance is phased over 18 months, along with penalties for violations.
Source: minilink.pro/1eLQj

3. The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority has extended the existing ceiling prices for orthopaedic knee implants by one more year until November 15, 2026. Manufacturers and importers of orthopaedic knee implants will have to maintain the existing prices till November 15, 2025.
Source: minilink.pro/1jA8h

4. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has integrated its Food Import Clearance System with the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs under the SWIFT 2.0 platform. This integration enables faster, more transparent, and technology-driven food import clearance, reducing delays, improving efficiency, and supporting India’s broader trade facilitation objectives.
Source: minilink.pro/1jA97

5. The Union Cabinet has approved the Credit Guarantee Scheme for Exporters (CGSE), offering up to INR 20,000 crore in collateral-free credit with 100 % guarantee via National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company (NCGTC). Including both MSME and non-MSME exporters, the scheme aims to boost liquidity, aid market diversification, and enhance global competitiveness of Indian exports.
Source: minilink.pro/1eLQH

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 Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has notified an amendment the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Rules, 2014. The amendment specifies that in Form 15, under “Corneal Transplantation Centre,” the word “Specular” shall be replaced with “Specular (optional),” making the requirement for specular examination optional.
Source: urli.info/1eoY-

2. The Supreme Court of India has issued a notice in a petition by the Haemophilia Federation of India seeking inclusion of haemophilia under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016’s provision which mandates a 4% reservation in government employment for persons with benchmark disabilities (those with 40% or more disability). Further, if there cannot be an inclusion, the petitioners have prayed for striking down the exclusion.
Source: urli.info/1eoZ1

3. A report by CyberPeace warns that early exposure to online gaming is increasingly linked to obesity, sleep disruption, repetitive-strain injuries and mental-health issues among children. It urges India to adopt robust age-verification mechanisms, formal content ratings and a “living legislation” framework for game developers and publishers.
Source: urli.info/1eoZa

4. The Indian Pharmacopoeia has reportedly been officially recognised by 17 countries as the authoritative standards for medicines. This recognition will enhance the quality assurance of pharmaceutical products, eliminate duplicate testing, promote export growth, and strengthen India’s position as a reliable supplier of affordable, high-quality medicines worldwide.
Source: urli.info/1jcwP

5. Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has updated its guidance on advertising therapeutic goods on social media, clarifying legal responsibilities for advertisers, influencers and account holders. The update outlines what qualifies as advertising, the use of testimonials, mandatory health warnings and common breaches, after removing over 13,700 unlawful ads in FY 2024 25.
Source 1: urli.info/1jcwR
Source 2: urli.info/1jcwU

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.Kerala High Court has ordered against the usage of “Dr.” prefix by physiotherapists and occupational therapists who do not possess recognized medical qualification. The order came while considering challenges to recent curriculum provisions allowing such usage, the next hearing is scheduled on December 1, 2025.
Source: urli.info/1em0-

2.The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has fixed the ceiling prices for six scheduled formulations, including riboflavin tablets, peritoneal dialysis solutions, ethyl alcohol, and human normal immunoglobulin. Manufacturers and importers are mandated to align MRPs to the notified prices, file Form V on IPDMS and ensure that retailers/distributors display price list in their premises.
Source: urli.info/1j9u0

3.The Delhi High Court has expressed concern over an advertisement by a leading ayurvedic drug company that labels rival company product as “dhoka” (fraud). The Court questioned whether the use of such terminology crosses the permissible threshold and amounts to impermissible disparagement of a competitor’s product.
Source: urli.info/1j8ZY

4.The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has notified the Food Safety and Standards (Import) First Amendment Regulations, 2025, effective May 1, 2026. The amendment allows FSSAI approved or globally recognized analytical methods and mandates that the notified or referral laboratory to submit duly signed food analysis reports within five days of receiving samples.
Source: urli.info/1j9up

5.The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has issued a draft amendment to the Drugs Rules, 1945 to include cell or stem-cell derived products, gene therapeutic products and xenografts under the regulatory framework currently governing recombinant DNA derived drugs, aligning regulatory provisions and licensing forms with emerging Source:
advanced biological therapies.
Source: urli.info/1j9ta