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 has issued draft amendments to the New Drugs and Clinical Trials Rules, 2019, proposing to remove the provision dealing with the provisional registration of Ethics Committees. The designated authority will now directly grant final registration in Form CT-03 after scrutiny of Form CT-01, or reject with written reasons.
Source: h7.cl/1oifC

2. Bulk Drug Manufacturers Association of India has launched a marketing portal enabling Indian pharmaceutical companies to promote and source active pharmaceutical ingredients, intermediates, pallets, and contract development and manufacturing services, supporting both domestic and international markets through an integrated vendor management system with no cost registration for buyers.
Source: h7.cl/1oifJ

3. The Department of Pharmaceuticals has extended the deadline for submitting applications under the Common Facilities for Medical Device Clusters (CFMDC) sub-scheme to 15 February 2026. The scheme supports shared testing infrastructure for medical devices, including cardiac and orthopaedic implants, infusion pumps, imaging equipment, and Class B, C, and D IVDs.
Source: h7.cl/1jfLz

4. The Maharashtra government has issued a resolution by introducing a new fee structure at state-run hospitals from effective from January 16, 2026. ₹5 for OPD registration, ₹10/day for inpatient admission, and up to ₹40,000 for major surgeries like joint replacements. Diagnostic services, ICU care, and ambulance services also have updated charges. Implementation across hospitals is pending.
Source: h7.cl/1oiwW

5. The Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission is reportedly taking efforts to develop more biosimilar in alignment with governments Biopharma Shakti initiative. This move aims to align Indian quality standards with global benchmarks and strengthen the country’s biologics and biosimilars ecosystem.
Source: h7.cl/1jfLU

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 Central Drugs Standard Control Organization has cancelled the import registration of a cosmetic product after finding misleading drug-related claims on its website, which were inconsistent with the approved product labels, including claims relating to treatment of medical conditions.
Source: h7.cl/1hoPv

2. CDSCO has issued guidelines and SOPs under the Drugs and Cosmetics (Compounding of Offences) Rules, 2025, detailing eligibility, application process, authorities, and conditions for compounding certain regulatory offences, enabling settlement through monetary penalties and compliance measures instead of prosecution, supporting ease of doing business while maintaining regulatory oversight.
Source: h7.cl/1mlwh

3. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has notified that all amendments to food labelling and display regulations will come into force from 1 July of the year of notification. It has also revised the compliance timeline, extending the mandatory transition period for industry from 180 days to 365 days.
Source: h7.cl/1mlvZ

4. The Union Health Ministry is reportedly in discussions with state drug authorities to consider granting a six-month, case-by-case extension for pharmaceutical companies to comply with revised GMP requirements. The updated Schedule M introduces stricter manufacturing quality standards to align India’s drug production framework with global norms.
Source: h7.cl/1mlw4

5. India’s pharma regulator reportedly plans to introduce a dedicated wholesale licensing regime for bulk drugs, APIs and key starting materials. The move, along with a national supplier database, aims to improve traceability of imported materials and strengthen accountability and supply-chain oversight amid rising quality concerns.
Source: h7.cl/1hoPC

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 Pollution Control Board mandates real-time photographic monitoring of pharmaceutical effluent emissions, requiring automatic uploads to central portals. Non-compliance may trigger instant penalties and plant shutdowns forcing pharma CEOs and founders to implement on-site imaging systems immediately or risk regulatory sanctions.
Source: short-url.org/1beOU

2. The Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission has inaugurated the 5th National Pharmacovigilance Week (17–23 Sept 2025) themed “Your Safety, Just a Click Away: Report to PvPI”. The initiative aims to encourage broader participation in adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting by healthcare professionals and patients to strengthen pharmacovigilance.
Source: short-url.org/1beP1

3. Telangana’s health department has sealed 115 pharmacies attached to corporate hospitals after discovering critical breaches such as no registered pharmacists on duty, absence of purchase-sale records, stocking expired drugs, and improper storage of thermolabile medicines. Authorities have issued notices to hospital managements and warned of strict legal action under pharmacy and drug laws.
Source: short-url.org/1fSXe

4. US President reportedly advised pregnant women to avoid paracetamol (Tylenol), citing suspected links to autism. The U.S. FDA has begun label-revision to reflect “possible association,” though causation isn’t proven. However, the WHO, EU regulators, and medical experts emphatically refute the claim, stating evidence remains inconsistent and insufficient to establish causality.
Source: short-url.org/1bePe

5. U.S. officials are reportedly exploring the launch of a branded web portal potentially called “TrumpRx” that enables consumers to search for prescription medicines and purchase them at discounted prices directly from manufacturers.
Source: short-url.org/1fSUh

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 Government of India has reduced GST to NIL on 36 lifesaving drugs and cut GST on key medical devices and supplies from 18%/12% to 5%, effective September 22, 2025. Pharma and medical device companies must revise MRPs accordingly and comply with pricing norms under The Drugs Price Control Order and anti-profiteering provisions.
Source: shorturl.at/dRaT8

2. CDSCO has announced that Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBSC) approvals will now be sufficient for biopharma companies seeking CT-10 permissions to manufacture test items from Category I and II genetic engineering experiments.
Source: shorturl.at/ACkQm

3. Maharashtra’s Medical Education Department has instructed the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) to begin registering homeopathic practitioners who’ve completed the one-year Certificate Course in Modern Pharmacology (CCMP) under a separate registry. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has strongly opposed the move deeming it risky to public health, and plans to escalate the matter to the Bombay High Court.
Source: shorturl.at/Ge5OT

4. India’s GST Council has reduced the goods and services tax on diagnostic kits, reagents, and medical devices from 12–18% to 5%, effective September 22, 2025. While this lowers the cost base for labs, experts caution that reagent expenses account for only ~20% of diagnostic test costs, so the actual price drop for patients may be a modest 2–5%, depending on providers’ pricing strategies.
Source: shorturl.at/WvZHI

5. CDSCO has introduced a dedicated “Not of Standard Quality” (NSQ) alerts portal on its official website, enabling Industry experts to access real-time updates on substandard drug batches.
Source 1: shorturl.at/oMBXn
Source 2: shorturl.at/J7Pma

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 has launched a new CT 04 application module on its SUGAM online portal, streamlining the issuance of import licences for cell & gene therapeutic products to simplify and accelerate regulatory compliance and imports.
Source: bit.ly/3TGuNmR

2. A Central Drugs Consultative Committee panel has noted consumer complaints over unreadable expiry dates, tiny fonts, glossy packaging, and generic-brand confusion on medicinal products. It recommends forming a DCGI-led sub committee including a packaging expert to overhaul labelling norms and evaluate regulatory requirements for packaging suppliers under Drugs Rules, 1945.
Source: bit.ly/3IpVF8h

3. Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has recently directed licensing authorities to audit annual returns filed by food business operators on the FoSCoS platform. Authorities have been directed to flag inconsistencies, permit revisions via updated portal features, and enforce penalties for false declarations.
Source: bit.ly/4lpGH0p

4. The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs has mandated that customs officers verify the registration of plastic raw material importers on the Centralized Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Portal before clearing consignments. This directive aligns with the Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2024.
Source: bit.ly/3TYREu9

5. The Government of India has reportedly planned to transfer the National Health Claims Exchange (Insurance claims platform) from the health ministry to the finance ministry under Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority’s oversight to combat inflated hospital bills for insured patients.
Source: bit.ly/40hID2M

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. CPCB Mandates Disclosure of Labelling Methods on Plastic Packaging Effective July 2025
India’s Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has notified that, effective from 1st July 2025, all producers, importers, and brand owners of plastic packaging who provide the mandatory information on plastic packaging as required under the labelling and marking rules of the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, on plastic packaging, whether through a barcode, QR code, information brochure, or unique number, must mandatorily inform the CPCB using the prescribed format.
Source: bit.ly/3ZfEDzj

2. CPCB Mandates Immediate Registration of Plastic Raw Material Manufacturers and MSMEs on Centralized EPR Portal
India’s Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has notified that many manufacturers, importers, sellers of plastic raw materials, and MSME producers have not registered on the Centralized EPR Portal for plastic packaging, despite the mandatory requirement. The CPCB urges all concerned entities to complete their registration immediately to ensure compliance. Failure to do so may result in actions for non compliance under the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016.
Source: bit.ly/43ZznCo

3. AYUSH Ministry launches Ayush Suraksha portal to monitor misleading ads and ensure safety in traditional medicine
The Ministry of Ayush has launched the ‘Ayush Suraksha’ portal to monitor and address misleading advertisements and adverse drug reactions in traditional medicine. The platform was launched on May 30, 2025 and it enables real-time reporting and regulatory coordination to safeguard public health.
Source: bit.ly/4kFxQam

4. BIS Notifies New Terminology Standard for Meat Products Other Than Poultry
The Bureau of Indian Standards has introduced IS 8539 (Part 2): 2025, establishing standardized terminology for meat products and meat animals other than poultry. This new standard, effective from 22 May 2025, aims to promote uniformity and clarity in meat industry terminology, enhancing regulatory compliance and product communication.
Source: bit.ly/43oRWQn

5. IMA Warns Government Against Mixopathy, Citing Risks to Patient Safety and Medical Standards Integrity
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) cautions against the Indian government’s push to integrate traditional and modern medicine, termed “mixopathy.” It warns this move may compromise patient safety, dilute medical standards, and result in inadequately trained practitioners, urging authorities to reconsider such unscientific and potentially harmful healthcare initiatives.
Source: bit.ly/43VRxoB

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 Revised Schedule M of the Drugs Rules, 1945 which has come into force on the 28th December 2023, is now fully applicable to all manufacturers with turnover less than Rs. 250 Crores starting from 1st January 2025.
Source: bit.ly/4iZXAOt

2. India’s Central Drug Regulator has directed that the process to file applications for (1) addition of new Clinical Trial Site and (2) Change of Principal Investigator should henceforth be made online through the SUGAM Portal maintained by the regulator. An application for addition of clinical trial site is deemed approved if no objection received in 30 days of upload and an application for change of Principal investigator is deemed approved on the day of upload.
Source: bit.ly/4j1Kwbp

3. In order to curb instances of re-use and re-branding of expired food products by businesses India’s Central Food Regulator is now requiring all licensed Food Business Operators to upload the following data to the online portal on a quarterly basis once feature is activated:

a.  Quantity of food items rejected due to not meeting quality standards.
b. Quantity of expired food items returned by the business.
c. A detailed report of how the expired/ rejected food items were handled, including manner of disposal/ return/ destruction.

Provided that all licensed business should commence record-keeping in preparation of activation of upload feature on FoSCoS portal.
Source: bit.ly/3PjW8sP

4. The Delhi High Court recently held that a claim for medical negligence cannot be sustained on the basis that the patient had a certain expectation with respect to the quality of care, holding that no evidence was forthcoming that the Doctor’s conduct lead to harm to the patient.
Source: bit.ly/49YPn9m

5. The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Rules, 2011 have been amended, permitting associations to carry-forward the unspent administrative expenses into the next financial year, provided that reason for carry-over needs to be mentioned in Form FC-4.
Source: bit.ly/4gOxvAo

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 regulator, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued a advisory to e-commerce Food Business Operators (FBOs) to ensure that: (1) Last-mile delivery systems are made more robust, and persons handling last-mile delivery are given suitable training to handle the food items, and (2) The e-commerce FBOs are compliant with the labelling requirements as specified in relevant regulations, keeping the listings on the website consistent with content of actual food label.
Source: bit.ly/4f0zEaA

2. India’s Ministry of Finance has published an Office Memorandum seeking public comment up to the 10th of December, on certain amendments to the prevailing insurance regulations in the country. These proposed amendments include among other things, permitting a 100% Foreign Direct Investment in the insurance sector through the automatic-route, and permitting insurers to undertake offer of more than one class of insurance.
Source: bit.ly/4ifYwxT

3. India’s Central Ministry of Consumer Affairs is reportedly developing an online portal to handle the licensing, verification and stamping of weighing and measurement instruments as well as to provide a source of information on verified trade instruments for consumers.
Source: bit.ly/41km5Q6

4. The High Court of the States of Punjab and Haryana held that outside of introduction of evidence to the effect, the mere failure of a medical surgery/ procedure would itself not be sufficient to establish medical negligence claims, especially if the patient had been appropriately sensitized of the risks involved.
Source: bit.ly/49nlkrJ

5. In its finalized version of the regulations regarding Pre-determined Change Control Plans, the US Food and Drug Administration has plainly classified Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a sub-set of Machine Learning softwares when it comes to regulation of Medical Devices, and further makes it mandatory that in making submissions the version of the device software need to be submitted with the FDA to ensure version control.
Source: bit.ly/4imQQu2

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. Application process for (1) Manufacture/ import a New Drug/ formulation, or conduct clinical trial, (2) Manufacture/ import of new bulk drug substance, and (3) Import of finished formulation of a new drug will henceforth exclusively take place online on the SUGAM portal, and processing of offline application has been retroactively paused from 16th August 2024.
Source: bit.ly/3z9EX92

2. All registered Doctors are required to re-register their MBBS qualifications on the newly operationalized National Medical Register Portal and shall be provided a Unique Identification Number.
Source: bit.ly/3TyGpsl
Source: bit.ly/3zy4PLE

3. The central drugs regulator of India, the Drugs Controller General of India has issued a revised Guidelines and checklists for Zonal, Sub-Zonal and Port-officers of the State Drug Authorities providing updated policy on how to conduct their duties.
Source: bit.ly/3TuM2b3

4. The Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission has clarified that in the event of a conflict of interpretation between the newly released digital version of the Indian Pharmacopoeia 2022, and the print version the print version shall win out.
Source: bit.ly/4gqZ2IA

5. In addition to requiring audio-visual warnings during presentation of films, the Central government will require all online curated content publishers to display a non-skippable anti-tobacco audio-visual advertisement, as well as place a static message for the duration of display of use of tobacco and tobacco products in the curated content. This requirement shall be effective form March 2025.
Source: bit.ly/3XMqTvq

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. Pharmaceutical companies will have to submit details of their expenditures incurred on sponsoring activities to the medical professionals within two months after the end of each financial year on the Uniform Code for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP) portal as part of implementation of the UCPMP Code 2024.
Source: bit.ly/47bQOjc

2. India’s Health Ministry has introduced guidelines to improve quality of healthcare services in government hospitals and healthcare institutions. Hospitals will now be required to report adherence to these guidelines and submit proposals for approval, specifically when significant changes or funding is involved.
Source: bit.ly/3XaYSMz

3. Pharmaceutical industry in India has reportedly voiced its concern over the delay in processing and issuance of review orders on the website by Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP). The consequence of delay in processing of review orders may results in halt of business activities thereby imposing manufacturers to sell the scheduled formulation or a new drug at a ceiling price which is under review.
Source: bit.ly/4cUYrMa

4. India’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) is reportedly launching various digital initiatives, such as Online National Drug License System (ONDLS) and Track and Trace System, to transparently, and efficiently manage pharmaceutical regulations.
Source: bit.ly/47ai41s

5. Quality standards for MDMA and Psilocybine, well known psychedelic compounds has been prescribed by Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).
Source: bit.ly/47a9jVm
Source: bit.ly/478wBLf