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 Supreme Court of India by dismissing a review petition held that doctors and medical professionals rendering paid services will fall under the Consumer Protection Act 1986.
Source: bit.ly/3EJukMp

2. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has directed social media and application hosting platforms to remove content enabling Caller ID spoofing, citing violations of the Telecommunications Act, 2023. The advisory warns that tampering with telecom identifiers is a cognizable and non-bailable offence, and platforms failing to comply may face legal action.
Source: bit.ly/4k8UNDu

3. The Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA) has raised serious concerns over the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) mandate for all offline and online pharmacies to display current drug prices on their websites to protect consumers from overpaying as impractical and unfeasible.
Source: bit.ly/4k3GEY3

4. The WHO’s 2025 update to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) introduces a new module for traditional medicine, recognizing Ayurveda, Siddha, and Unani systems alongside conventional healthcare. This move strengthens their role in global health reporting, research, and policymaking, fostering integrative healthcare.
Source: bit.ly/4kagsv4

5. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has proposed a draft amendment to the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020. Key changes include mandatory bold labeling of added sugar, saturated fat, and sodium content, a compulsory logo as provided on all milk and milk products, and clearer front-of-pack declarations for coffee-chicory mixtures. Public objections or suggestions can be submitted within 60 days from the date issuance of notification.
Source: bit.ly/40Zx4ws

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 Allahabad High Court recently ruled that a Food Business Operator cannot be held liable for ingredients purchased in sealed packets from a licensed manufacturer with a proper invoice, even if they are found to be unsafe. The court clarified that liability for unsafe products rests with the manufacturer or distributor.
Source: bit.ly/4hAlyip

2. India’s Department of Consumer Affairs has issued a draft Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Amendment Rules, 2025 thereby relaxing the requirement to make labelling declarations at one place on the principal display panel (PDP) for the packages containing medical devices. Currently, all declarations are required to be made at one place on the PDP. The draft is open for public comments till 12th March 2025.
Source: bit.ly/40UsX4R

3. India’s Intellectual Property (IP) Office has issued a draft Guidelines for processing patent applications related to AYUSH systems, including Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy. The guidelines aim to provide clarity to the filing and processing patent applications of Ayush systems and related inventions. Stakeholders are invited to provide feedback by February 28, 2025.
Source: bit.ly/3WZjWXa

4. India’s National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has revised the ceiling prices of antibiotics Azithromycin and Amoxicillin-Clavulanic Acid under the Drugs (Prices Control) Order (DPCO), 2013. The revisions account for a 0.00551% impact from the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) for 2024.
Source:  bit.ly/3EBV7u4

5. Jammu and Kashmir’s Health Department had issued clear directives to ensure compliance with the prescription guidelines. However, doctors in government hospital have continued to disregard these guidelines thereby imposing a significant financial burden on the patients. Under these guidelines, doctors are required to write prescriptions in legible capital letters along with their name, designation and signatures.
Source: bit.ly/40YI1yl

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. In a landmark ruling, the Chhattisgarh High Court emphasized that the entire mixture of a narcotic substance, including neutral substances, must be considered when determining whether the seized quantity qualifies as “small,” “intermediate,” or “commercial” under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (NDPS Act).
Source: bit.ly/40LD39o

2. The Jabalpur Bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, in an interim order, directed the police, narcotics bureau, and Drug Controller to take immediate action against manufacture and sale of banned drugs on wholesale basis online. This move is aimed at enhancing public safety and stricter regulation of online drug sales.
Source: bit.ly/40vjl0h

3. The Union Ministry of Health has announced a key amendment to the Drugs Rules, 1945, introducing Rule 158B (VI). This mandates licensing authorities to follow newly defined guidelines under Schedule TB when issuing licenses for Ayurvedic, Siddha, and Unani (ASU) nasal sprays, aimed at bringing standardization in formulation, safety, and efficacy.
Source: bit.ly/4asMVbt

4. India’s Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change has allowed entities registered as producers, importers, or brand owners under the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, to make the mandatory labeling declarations via barcodes printed on plastic packaging, product brochures, or unique identification numbers, effective from July 1, 2025.
Source: bit.ly/40Jv2ln

5. The National Medical Commission (NMC) has initiated a probe into doctors whose foreign trips to Monaco and Paris were sponsored by a well-known pharma company, for violation of Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002.  This follows the reprimanding of Department of Pharma (DoP) against the pharma company for violating the Uniform Code for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP) for foreign events sponsorship.
Source: bit.ly/3E9Vmw7

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 Bombay High Court’s Division Bench has stayed an order penalizing a leading AYUSH drug manufacturer for violation of an injunction order on the selling of camphor products thereby infringing another company’s organics’ trademark. Earlier the drug manufacturing company was imposed with a penalty for contempt of court after observing continued violations of the restraining order since 2023.
Source: bit.ly/3ZF02RK

2. India’s Delhi High Court has directed online platforms, including Telegram, to block accounts linked to an anonymous user threatening to leak an insurance company’s confidential customer data. The court emphasized that misuse of such data could lead to identity theft, fraud, and privacy violations and restrained the unidentified entity from sharing the data and ordered intermediaries to disclose its details.
Source: bit.ly/3VKUjbT

3. India’s Karnataka government has reportedly merged the Department of Food Safety and Standards with the Drug Control Department, renaming it as the Food Safety and Drug Administration (FDA). The move aims to streamline operations and enhance service delivery under a unified Commissioner. Officers and staff will now function under the FDA’s administrative control, with steps being taken to restructure rules and regulations. The decision follows similar mergers in states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu.
Source: bit.ly/4flpL7B

4. The Union Ministry of AYUSH (MOA) will reportedly launch a national portal, ‘Trinetra’, for pharmacovigilance in Indian Systems of Medicine (ISM) to curb misleading advertisements. Announced at the World Ayurveda Congress in Dehradun, the portal will ensure quicker reporting of misleading advertisements thereby improving consumer safety. Experts emphasized the need to protect Ayurveda’s reputation and address false claims of “magic cures” and “side-effect-free” treatments.
Source: bit.ly/4gC7y6O

5. India’s Supreme Court has criticized the Delhi government for failing to provide data on daily solid waste generation, calling it a “shocking state of affairs.” Despite an order dated November 18, 2024, the data remains pending, prompting the Court to warn of contempt proceedings if an affidavit is not submitted by December 18, 2024. The Chief Secretary has been directed to appear before the Court on December 19. The Court expressed concern over untreated solid waste, linking it to public health risks and landfill fires.
Source: bit.ly/3ZZyXtK