New Delhi, Feb. 1 -- Cancer treatment costs are set to come down after the Budget 2026-27 proposal of removal of basic customs duty on 17 drugs used in cancer therapy, a move aimed at easing the financial burden on patients dependent on imported medicines.
Presenting the Budget in Parliament on Sunday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the duty exemption was intended to provide direct relief to cancer patients. "To provide relief to patients, particularly those suffering from cancer, I propose to exempt basic customs duty on 17 drugs or medicines," she said in her speech.
The exempted drugs include several high-cost targeted therapies and immuno-therapies such as Ribociclib, Abemaciclib, Venetoclax, Ibrutinib, Dabrafenib, Trametini...