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 Health has issued draft amendments to the New Drugs & Clinical Trials Rules, 2019 introducing a framework for filing of post-approval changes in new drugs. Manufacturers of new drugs may have to take prior approval from the authorities for major and moderate quality changes while minor quality changes might be implemented without prior approval and changes which might have a minimal effect can be implemented with annual submission by 1st quarter of every calendar year to the authorities.
Source: h7.cl/1odSN

2. The Delhi High Court upheld the conviction of a sweet manufacturing unit for discharging untreated effluents into public sewers leading to the Yamuna River. However, citing the 2024 amendment to the Water Act, which replaces imprisonment with monetary penalties, the court set aside the jail term and imposed an ten lakh rupees penalty, underscoring strict environmental compliance.
Source: h7.cl/1jbwq

3. The National Biodiversity Authority has launched a digital portal for electronic issuance of Certificates of Origin for cultivated medicinal plants, enabling access and benefit sharing exemptions. The initiative operationalises the amended Biological Diversity framework, offering a single window online process for traditional medicine, seed and research sectors.
Source: h7.cl/1odSP

4. The Government has amended the Plant Quarantine Order to permit the import of dried Mitragyna speciosa (Kratom) leaves from Uganda for processing, subject to a phytosanitary certificate confirming the consignment is free from soil, quarantine weed seeds, and other plant debris.
Source: h7.cl/1jbwX

5. The Karnataka High Court has stayed a penalty imposed by the Central Consumer Protection Authority on an e-commerce platform for allowing the sale of walkie-talkies without mandatory licensing disclosures. The E-commerce platform had argued that its liability is limited owing to it being a mere intermediary.
Source: h7.cl/1jbx0

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 Competition Commission of India has ordered three Maharashtra liquor trade associations to cease anti-competitive practices, including influencing prices and restricting market access. The CCI found the groups violated the Competition Act and directed them to stop such conduct, though no monetary penalties were imposed.
Source: h7.cl/1g7kN

2. The Punjab government has issued strict new directives for private hospitals to curb exploitation, including mandated humane treatment protocols and safeguards in sensitive situations like patient death. The move aims to strengthen patient rights and accountability in healthcare delivery amid public concerns over unethical practices.
Source: h7.cl/1l0ob

3. Karnataka’s Health Minister has reportedly cautioned private hospitals against conducting unnecessary caesarean deliveries for financial gain, stating that violations under the Karnataka Private Medical Establishments Act may attract penalties up to fifty thousand rupees and potential cancellation of registration, following due process, if establishments fail to comply with regulatory directions.
Source: h7.cl/1l0p7

4. The All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists has reportedly urged the Prime Minister to halt illegal e-pharmacy operations and withdraw proposed drug regulations, warning that unregulated online medicine sales, especially antibiotics, violate key laws and dangerously accelerate antimicrobial resistance, creating a significant threat to India’s public health system.
Source: h7.cl/1l0o0

5. The Indian Medical Parliamentarians’ Forum has reportedly warned that funding gaps and delays in India’s Rare Disease Policy are disrupting life-saving enzyme therapy for Lysosomal Storage Disorder patients. Over 60 patients have exceeded the ₹50-lakh cap and nearly 100 face imminent treatment loss, prompting urgent calls for expanded funding and sustained government support.
Source: h7.cl/1g7iS