With the implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST), prices of highly-priced life-saving drugs that are used for treating rare diseases have increased 12 percent, resulting in skyrocketing bills, which is adding to the woes of patients who cannot afford overpriced treatment in India.
Such high-value orphan drugs are used to treat rare diseases such as classic Hodgkin Lymphoma, Crohn’s disease and melanoma, and in cases of bone marrow transplant. They are prescribed usually lifelong with certain treatments, leading to costs that run into crores of rupees.
These drugs are now burdened with the 12 percent additional levy, which was nil before GST was rolled out in July, the Times of India reported.
“In most cases, the import quantity is not available, but the burden of additional 12 percent is high when the patient has to take the medicine
