The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has expanded its list of medicines exempt from value-added tax (VAT) to include more drugs for cancer, diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension, and mental illness.
According to FDA Advisory No. 2025-0510, released on June 4, two cancer medicines, two diabetes medicines, one for high cholesterol, two for hypertension, and three for mental illness have been added to the VAT exemption list.
The cancer medicines now exempted are capsules containing Tegafur, Gimeracil, and Oteracil Potassium in doses of 20 mg/5.8 mg/19.6 mg and 25 mg/7.25 mg/24.5 mg.
For diabetes, the exempt medicines are extended-release tablets combining Metformin Hydrochloride and Teneligliptin (as hydrobromide hydrate), available in 1 g/20 mg and 500 mg/20 mg doses.
The high cholesterol medicine added is a film-coated tablet containing Atorvastatin (as calcium) and Fenofibrate, with doses of 20 mg and 160 mg respectively.
For hypertension, the new VAT-exempt medicines are film-coated tablets combining Metoprolol tartrate and Ivabradine (as hydrochloride) in doses of 50 mg/5 mg and 25 mg/5 mg.
Lastly, three forms of the mental illness medicine Lamotrigine have been included: dispersible/chewable tablets (5 mg), oral dispersible tablets (25 mg), and regular tablets (25 mg).
The FDA also removed Baricitinib (2 mg and 4 mg), a cancer medicine, from the VAT-exempt list.
This update aims to make essential medicines more affordable for patients with these conditions.
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