The Union Health Ministry has made available generic drugs to support the care and treatment of four rare diseases: Tyrosinemia-Type 1, Gauchers Disease, Wilson’s Disease, and the Dravet-Lennox Gastaut Syndrome.
Key points
- The cost of these drugs will be slashed by anywhere between 60 and 100 times of their current market value.
- A rare disease is a health condition of particularly low prevalence that affects a small number of people.
- It collectively afflicts 6-8% of the population in any country at any given time. According to the government, India could have 8.4 crore to 10 crore such cases.
- Nearly 80% percent of these diseases are genetic in nature.
- The Central Government has prioritised 13 rare diseases and sickle cell disease.
- The Central Government has given full exemption from basic customs duty on all drugs and Food for Special Medical Purposes imported for personal use for treatment of all Rare Diseases listed under the National Policy for Rare Diseases 2021 through a general exemption notification.
- All drugs used for treating rare diseases were so far being imported and were expensive. The Union Health Ministry informed that the new drugs will bring down costs by up to 100-fold.
- Currently, there are eight types of generic drugs and among them, four types of drugs are available in India and another four types of drugs will be available next year.
- The available generic drugs are for Tyrosinemia Type, Gaucher’s Disease, Wilson’s Disease and Dravet or Lennox Gastaut Syndrome- seizures.
