How making 3 Cancer medicines duty-free is a shot in the arm for patients

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's announcement that three more cancer medicines have been fully exempted from customs duties has come as a shot in the arm for patients. 

The three drugs that have been exempted from customs duties are Trastuzumab Deruxtecan, Osimertinib and Durvalumab. The decision has been welcomed by cancer specialists as well.

Dr Amit Rauthan, HOD & Consultant for Medical Oncology, Haematology & Haemato-Oncology at the Manipal Comprehensive Cancer Centre in Bengaluru, told Mathrubhumi English that the government's decision was very good news for cancer patients. 

"When it comes to cancer care, the cost of the medications become a significant issue, as they are often expensive for long-term treatment. The proposal to reduce customs duty on cancer drugs is definitely a positive move to help reduce the financial burden on more cancer patients. The three drugs -- Trastuzumab Deruxtecan, Osimertinib, and Durvalumab -- are very important for cancer patients. Among these, Trastuzumab Deruxtecan is especially noteworthy for breast cancer patients, as it is becoming a “wonder drug," he said.

Giving more details about the drugs, Dr Amit said, "Trastuzumab Deruxtecan, a dominant drug in breast cancer treatment, has significant survival benefits for HER2-positive and HER2-low patients in stage four settings compared to older drugs. However, the cost is so prohibitive that many patients cannot afford it. If the cost decreases, it will definitely benefit and improve the survival rates of many more breast cancer patients who are HER2-positive and HER2-low."

"Trastuzumab Deruxtecan is also a novel chemotherapy drug combination and is called Antibody Drug Conjugate (ADC). It is a combination of an antibody, a monocle antibody, and a chemotherapy drug which is conjugated," he added. 

Talking about Osimertinib, Dr Amit termed it as another effective treatment used as a first-line therapy for lung cancer patients with EGFR mutations. Although it is an oral tablet, the treatment is very expensive for many Indian patients. 

As for Durvalumab, the Oncologist said that it was an immunotherapy drug that is "beneficial for many different cancer types. Lowering the cost of immunotherapy drugs can potentially help a larger number of cancer patients."