Bill to overhaul drugs law faces medical device sector opposition

In India, there is an old rulebook for medicines and medical machines called the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.

The government wants to update and change that rulebook.

But the people and companies that make medicines and medical machines are not happy about it.

They say the government wrote the new rules without asking them what they think.

They also say the new rules are almost the same as an older version that was stopped before.

Some of the new rules could punish people with jail time for very small mistakes, like typos or wrong label sizes.

The makers of medical machines say machines are not the same as medicines, so they should have their own rulebook and their own experts, such as engineers and doctors, helping to write the rules.

They say other countries do not make small mistakes a crime and want India to follow better examples.

They are asking the government to listen to them before making the new rules final.