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Wednesday, April 1, 2026
TopicRare diseases

Topic: Rare diseases

Budget cuts import costs of certain cancer & rare disease drugs. Why it offers little relief to patients

Cancer imposes catastrophic health expenditure in India, with medicines constituting over 60% of out-of-pocket expenditure. Research shows wide price variations, limited cost containment.

Kerala set to expand unique model of procuring expensive life-saving drugs for rare diseases

The state’s KARE programme to provide free high-cost treatment for certain rare diseases for children will now cover all patients under the age of 18.

36 drugs to treat cancer, rare diseases exempted from basic customs duty in Union Budget 2025

Lakhs of patients are likely to benefit from this move as some of these drugs were exorbitant to procure.

New hope for rare disease patients: Rs 900-cr govt project to get high-value drugs at lower rates in works

India has 8.4 to 19 crore rare disease patients, according to health ministry estimates. But current beneficiaries in most cases are kids or those who need relatively less expensive drugs.

ICMR calls for development of local drugs for rare diseases, offers assistance in clinical research

The medical research body aims to encourage domestic companies to develop cost-effective treatments for rare conditions, such as spinal muscular atrophy, Gaucher disease, among others.

Delhi doctors perform 8-hour auto liver transplant surgery on Kyrgyzstan woman, 2nd in India

Surgery conducted at Fortis Escorts, Okhla. Removal of diseased portion of liver was a challenging task as organ was stuck around surrounding vital structures.

Govt decision to remove tax on drugs & food to treat rare diseases could benefit 70-90 million Indians

Finance ministry announces exemption from basic customs duty. Cost of some medicines used to treat rare diseases ranges from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 1 crore, says govt.

‘Breaks me every day’: At Delhi rally, parents of kids with muscular dystrophy flag dire need of govt support

Their main demands were amendment of rules to ensure insurance firms can't deny reimbursement of medical expenses & funding of indigenous research to develop a treatment protocol for DMD.

Govt sets up ‘rare disease’ crowdfunding portal, 30 patients get 26,500 donations in a week

The donations are not yet income tax exempt but the process is on for getting the relevant exemptions.

One in three children with a rare disease won’t live to see their fifth birthday

There are about 7,000 different rare diseases. And on Rare Disease Day, it's time to accept these diseases are more common than you think.

On Camera

The big fat IPS wedding people just can’t stop talking about

IPS KK Bishnoi and IPS Anshika Verma’s palatial Jodhpur wedding missed a key truth—power complicates tradition and personal joy.

How Russian oil makes its way to India—two key routes, a backup & a sanctions hack

From Baltic ports to Gujarat shores, Russian crude travels 7,500 nautical miles through ship-to-ship transfers, and in some cases, price cap loopholes, experts say.

More ‘hits’ than Rheinmetall ever—Ukraine drone manufacturer claps back at CEO’s ‘housewives’ remark

Oleksandr Yakovenko, founder of Ukrainian drone maker TAF Industries, further went on to highlight the growing 'irrelevance' of European defence platforms.

Gulf war exposed India’s fragilities. It’s time for navel-gazing, in the national interest

It’s easy to understand why the government can’t speak the hard truth. When this war ends, as all wars do, India’s interests will lie with both the winner and the loser.