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Government to Launch Program to Develop 12 Indigenous Drugs Targeting 8 Rare Diseases

NextEdge Admin

25 Sep 2024

2 min 38 sec

Department of Health Research,Rare Diseases,Policy

The Central government is set to launch a new scheme aimed at developing 12 indigenous drugs for eight rare diseases, Health Minister J.P. Nadda announced. The program is part of India's broader effort to become a global leader in affordable healthcare and aims to provide significant financial relief to patients with rare diseases.

As part of this initiative, the Department of Health Research (DHR) will work on reducing the costs of treatments for conditions such as Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), Gaucher’s disease, and Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), among others. The listed rare diseases include Familial DMD, Familial Hypercholesterolemia, SMA, Gaucher Disease, Pompe Disease, Fabry Disease, Niemann-Pick Disease (NPD), and Alkaptonuria.

Under the National Policy for Rare Diseases (NPRD), financial assistance of up to ₹50 lakh per patient is available during the course of treatment at specialized Centres of Excellence (CoEs). Since the policy’s implementation in 2021, more than 1,100 patients have benefitted. NPRD covers a wide range of health conditions, including osteopetrosis, Fanconi Anemia, Laron Syndrome, and immune deficiency disorders like severe combined immunodeficiency and Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome.

In addition to this drug development program, the government has established 12 Centres of Excellence at leading government hospitals for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of rare diseases. Other healthcare initiatives include the National One Health Mission (NOHM) for pandemic preparedness and the Med-Tech Mitra platform to support medical innovators and startups.

Nadda emphasized that these efforts, along with the launch of a “Research to Action” vertical in the DHR, represent a transformative step toward making India a global leader in healthcare innovation and self-reliance (Atmanirbhar Bharat).