The government has authorized the issuance of global tenders for the procurement of 120 drugs, including the anti-diabetic medication semaglutide, following concerns from the health ministry regarding the limited availability of domestic alternatives.
The decision, announced by the finance ministry, aims to facilitate access to medications in India that are either patented and unavailable domestically or not produced locally due to technological challenges.
The current public procurement policy restricts global tendering for goods and services valued at up to ₹200 crore to support the domestic sector. However, the new policy allows global tenders for 120 specific medicines, including the anti-diabetic drug dulaglutide; evrysdi for spinal muscular atrophy; fabrazyme for Fabry disease; kadcyl for breast cancer; lemtrada for multiple sclerosis; and semaglutide for type-2 diabetes and obesity.
The exemption also covers certain vaccines, such as the HPV vaccine, which protects against cervical cancer, and the pneumococcal vaccine, which guards against serious illnesses like pneumonia and meningitis.
As reported by The Economic Times, the relaxation will remain effective until March 31, 2027, unless revised by a subsequent order. However, it is subject to the approval of the secretary (coordination) of the finance ministry’s expenditure department.
