New Delhi: The Union Budget 2026 has placed strong emphasis on healthcare, with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announcing the launch of the “Biopharma Shakti” scheme with an outlay of ₹10,000 crore over five years to position India as a global biopharmaceutical hub. The initiative aims to boost domestic production of biologics and biosimilars, reduce dependence on imports, and significantly lower the cost of critical medicines used to treat cancer and diabetes. As part of the plan, three new national pharmaceutical education and research institutes will be established, while seven existing institutions will be upgraded.
To ease the financial burden on patients, the government said prices of several high-end cancer drugs—including Trastuzumab, Osimertinib, Pembrolizumab, Nivolumab, Rituximab, and Bevacizumab—are expected to fall as local manufacturing scales up. The budget also outlines a major expansion of medical infrastructure, including a nationwide network of 1,000 accredited clinical trial sites, five regional medical hubs for training and research, three new AIIMS institutions, strengthened mental health facilities, and three new Ayurveda institutes. The Finance Minister said the government’s focus is not only on building hospitals but on ensuring affordable, quality healthcare for every citizen, with additional allocations for upgrading district hospitals and expanding emergency services—marking a decisive step toward making India a global healthcare powerhouse. Medicines expected to become cheaper
Trastuzumab – Mainly for breast cancer
Osimertinib – Lung cancer treatment
Durvalumab – Lung and bladder cancer
Pembrolizumab – Immunotherapy for advanced cancers
Nivolumab – Melanoma and kidney cancer
Ibrutinib – Blood cancer (leukaemia)
Rituximab – Lymphoma
Palbociclib – Breast cancer
Ribociclib – Metastatic breast cancer
Avelumab – Skin and kidney cancer
Cetuximab – Head, neck and colorectal cancers
Panitumumab – Colorectal cancer
Olaparib – Ovarian and breast cancer
Bevacizumab – Tumour control across multiple cancers
Atezolizumab – Immunotherapy drug
Cabozantinib – Thyroid and kidney cancer
Lenvatinib – Liver and thyroid cancer