Budget 2025 for healthcare: Big changes in import duty for lifesaving medicines

Budget 2025: On Saturday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman proposed to remove customs duty on 36 life-saving drugs used to treat cancer, rare diseases, and other serious chronic conditions. Earlier, customs duties on drugs like Trastuzumab Deruxtecan, Osimertinib, and Durvalumab were reduced from 10% to zero.

"To provide relief to patients, particularly those suffering from cancer, rare diseases and other severe chronic diseases, I propose to add 36 lifesaving drugs and medicines to the list of medicines fully exempted from Basic Customs Duty (BCD)," Sitharaman said while presenting her 8th consecutive budget.

She also suggested adding six more life-saving medicines to the list, which would now attract a 5% concessional customs duty.


"Full exemption and concessional duty will also respectively apply on the bulk drugs for the manufacture of the above," Sitharaman added.

She highlighted that drugs under Patient Assistance Programmes, which are supplied free of charge to patients, are already fully exempt from BCD.

"I propose to add 37 more medicines along with 13 new patient assistance programmes," Sitharaman said.

On the same day, Sitharaman made history by presenting her eighth consecutive Union Budget. This achievement is particularly remarkable as it places her on track to surpass former Prime Minister Morarji Desai’s record of presenting ten budgets, which he set during his time as finance minister in the late 1950s and 1960s.