Regulation of cancer drugs

Context

In Budget 2024-2025, the government has announced customs duty exemption on three targeted cancer drugs trastuzumab deruxtecan, osimertinib and durvalumab.

Cancer cases in India

• The number of cancer cases in India is constantly increasing. According to the data of the National Cancer Registry, 14.6 lakh new cases of cancer are estimated to be reported in 2022.
  • While this number was 14.2 lakh in 2021 and 13.9 lakh in 2020.
• The number of deaths due to cancer increased to 8.08 lakh in 2022, from 7.9 lakh in 2021 and 7.7 lakh in 2020.
• Women are more affected by cancer–
  • In 2020, the incidence of cancer per 100,000 population was 103.6 in women and 94.1 in men.
  • In men, the most common cancers are lung, mouth, prostate, tongue and stomach while in women, the most common cancers are breast, cervix, ovary, uterus and lung.
• According to a study by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), which used data from a population-based cancer registry, one in nine Indians may develop cancer in their lifetime.
  • According to the study, one in 68 men will develop lung cancer and one in 29 women will develop breast cancer.

About targeted cancer drugs

• Targeted cancer drugs are designed to affect and destroy only cancer cells. They target specific genetic changes in cancer cells, preventing them from growing, dividing, or spreading.
  • These drugs do not affect normal cells, whereas traditional chemotherapy drugs have the ability to target all cells.
• These drugs have better results and fewer side effects.
• Newer cancer treatments such as immunotherapy do not target cancer using any drug.
  • Rather, they train the patient's immune system to find and attack cancer cells.

Trastuzumab deruxtecan

• It is an antibody-drug conjugate, made up of a substance called a monoclonal antibody chemically linked to a drug.
  • A monoclonal antibody is a laboratory-made protein that acts like a human antibody.
• It is used to destroy certain breast cancer cells.
• It is a second-line treatment, used when conventional cancer treatments fail.
• In 2019, this drug was approved for the treatment of breast cancer and in 2021, for the treatment of certain types of gastrointestinal cancer.

Osimertinib

• It is the most commonly used of the three cancer drugs in India.
• This drug is used to treat lung cancers that have epidermal fluorescence factors (EGFR).

Durvalumab

• It is an immunoplasty treatment used to treat lung cancer, bile duct cancer, bladder cancer and liver cancer.
• Studies have shown that this drug helps patients stay comfortable and live longer.

Impact of customs exemption

• The customs exemption on these drugs is widely expected to help reduce the financial burden on cancer patients and their families.
• There are about one lakh patients in India who regularly require rastuzumab derkusten, osimertinib and durvalumab.
• The reduction in prices will make treatments for lung and breast cancer affordable, which are the most common cancers in men and women respectively.