“The Union Budget’s focus on developing India’s pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical sector, especially through the ‘Biopharma Shakti’ initiative with a funding of ₹10,000 crores, is a welcome and well-planned step given the shift in the country’s disease burden towards non-communicable diseases. In this context, other initiatives like the exemption of basic customs duty on certain cancer medicines and support for the import of rare diseases will also go a long way in making treatment more affordable for patients. At BDR Pharmaceuticals, we believe that this will be a major catalyst to promote innovation, enhance local manufacturing, and ensure an uninterrupted supply of quality and affordable cancer medicines.”