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. Supreme Court Calls Unethical Clinical Trials a Critical and Serious Issue, Orders Detailed Report from Government. The Supreme Court of India recently heard a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by a public health rights NGO, highlighting unethical clinical trials causing serious adverse effects and deaths of the participants. The Court directed the Central Government to submit a detailed report within four weeks addressing concerns such as transparency, accountability, provisions for criminal actions against sponsors/investigators and other points raised by the petitioners.
Source:  bit.ly/4bW7QEB

2. Group of therapists have approached the Bombay High Court, alleging police harassment under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, violating their trade and dignity rights. The Maharashtra government informed the Court about a 12-member committee drafting guidelines for regulating spa and massage centers. The guidelines will cover important aspects such as licensing procedures, operational standards, and the regulation of cross-gender massages.
Source: bit.ly/4c4hG7s

3. India’s Health Department of Karnataka has clarified that Essential Narcotic Drugs (END) in the state will now be regulated under the Central Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Rules, replacing the previous state regulations. As a result, hospitals and medical institutions recognized as RMIs by the state drug regulator no longer need state-level permission to stock these drugs. However, other narcotic drugs in Karnataka will continue to be regulated according to state NDPS Rules.
Source: bit.ly/4l1XDdY

4. The list of drugs taking a shift from prescription-only to over-the-counter (OTC) is reportedly to be released soon. A sub-committee is drafting guidelines, which may categorize OTC drugs for sale in pharmacies or in general stores, similar to practices in Western countries.
Source: bit.ly/4hJjCDB

5. MedTech Europe has released a report outlining the administrative burdens caused by the non-harmonized authorization process for IVD performance studies & the increased post-market and clinical reporting requirements for medical devices under the new medtech regulations. The report also proposes several solutions, including streamlining approvals for multinational studies, digitalizing processes, and allowing manufacturers to consolidate key reports.
Source: bit.ly/42jN4dJ

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. Various State Pharmacy Councils are reportedly planning to issue notices to pharmacists who work in medical shops that advertise discounts through physical discount boards, warning them that working in such shops is unethical and illegal, and may result in cancellation of registration.
Source: bit.ly/4h0LByd

2. India’s Supreme Court has stayed the Kerala High Court order which had directed Central Government to continue to support a patient suffering from rare disease, even after the medical expense of the patient crossed the Rs. 50 lakh limit imposed by The National Policy for Rare Diseases.
Source: bit.ly/41B8zHE

3. Beverage manufacturers will have to use rigid plastic packaging such as PET bottles that contain at least 30% recycled plastic content. India’s Ministry of Environment had introduced this requirement as part of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for plastic producers.
Source: bit.ly/4hVwTts

4. State Drug Controllers are reportedly finding it difficult to prosecute drug manufacturers based in other states who manufacture substandard drugs because information required for prosecution is not readily made available by State Licensing Authority of State in which the manufacturer is located.
Source: bit.ly/4h5WvTj

5. India’s Central Drug Regulator (CDSCO) is reportedly planning to simplify Export No Objection Certificate (NOC) issued for unapproved drugs, by removing buyer and quantity-specific limitations, based on the exporting company’s export history. This may improve regulatory efficiency and ease manpower strain.
Source: bit.ly/3F3Tdm6

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. A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Madras High Court, alleging that transgender clinics in Tamil Nadu are engaging in unethical practices. These include the use of the banned two-finger test and violations of established health guidelines. The court has issued notices to the National Medical Council and the Tamil Nadu government, seeking their responses to these serious allegations.
Source: bit.ly/4fCPFnA

2. The Indian subsidiary of a major U.S. pharmaceutical company is under investigation for violating the Uniform Code for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP) guidelines by sponsoring foreign trips for 30 doctors. The government may take action against the company and the executive who signed the self-declaration of compliance. If proven, the doctors involved could lose their medical licenses and be prohibited from practicing medicine.
Source: bit.ly/409I4s3

3. India’s Allahabad High Court has overturned a National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) order that had mandated a compensation of ₹93 lakh from a doctor and hospital owner for alleged medical negligence during a C-section procedure in 2005. The High Court identified procedural errors in the NCDRC’s decision-making process, thereby nullifying the earlier order for compensation to be paid by the medical professionals involved.
Source: bit.ly/409s4pQ

4. India’s Karnataka High Court has granted temporary relief to pharmaceutical companies by directing the government to refrain from taking action against pharmaceutical companies producing nutraceuticals in drug-licensed units. This follows a challenge to Schedule M, which restricts the manufacturing of non-drug products in drug-licensed facilities
Source: bit.ly/40bT34c

5. The Jammu and Kashmir Medical Supplies Corporation Limited (JKMSCL) has ordered an immediate halt to the use of Bupivacaine Hydrochloride in Dextrose Injection USP (0.5%), 5mg/ml, 4ml ampoule, Batch Number AA40222, manufactured by Aishwarya Healthcare Ltd. This action follows a reported Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR) associated with the batch, which was manufactured in April 2024 and expires in March 2026. Medical officers have been instructed to cease using the affected batch immediately.
Source: bit.ly/408meFg