Govt revises essential drug list, adds specialised drugs and medical devices

• The National Medical Commission released the NEET PG 2026-27 seat matrix on October 1, 2026. • The matrix includes a total of 63,177 seats across MD, MS, Diploma, DM, and MCh postgraduate medical programs.

• House Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Rich McCormick recently led a congressional hearing on strengthening U.S. biotechnology leadership. • Witnesses testified that while AI accelerates drug discovery and protein design, these same tools could be used by individuals to cause biological harm.

• The National Institutes of Health is launching a streamlined website to help the public find health and research information more easily. • One communications expert described the redesign as badly needed, noting that finding information on the old site required the skills of an Egyptologist.

• Sanofi agreed to pay Regeneron $1 billion upfront and up to $7 billion in milestone payments to co-develop four drugs. • The two companies will split all development costs and future profits equally, with Sanofi managing global sales upon approval.

• The World Health Organization released new Global Health Estimates on 2 October 2026 detailing health trends across countries and regions from 2000 to 2023. • Global life expectancy has returned to levels close to those seen before the COVID-19 pandemic.

• The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) held a briefing session on October 1, 2026, in Washington, D.C., to discuss accelerating the elimination of communicable diseases in the Americas. • The session focused on using national leadership and strategic investments to eliminate more than 30 communicable diseases and related health conditions.

• Health equity reports from early October 2026 highlight gaps in lung cancer screening for people with HIV and barriers to allogeneic transplant access. • Lung cancer screening rates for people with HIV remain low even after eligibility for the tests tripled.

• Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and ARPA-H Director Alicia Jackson launched a project in Austin, Texas, to accelerate the clinical trial process. • The experimental program aims to reduce the total amount of time and money required to conduct medical trials.

• The FDA is allowing companies to conduct required safety and efficacy studies after their drugs and devices have already reached the market. • Agency records show that many of these postmarket studies are currently overdue or behind schedule.

• The FDA approved the first-ever therapies for four ultra-rare genetic and metabolic conditions, including Sanfilippo syndrome type A and Alexander disease, in September 2026. • These regulatory decisions also granted the first approved treatments for MCT8 deficiency and ataxia-telangiectasia.

• NanoViricides, Inc. filed its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 28, 2026. • The company is currently conducting Phase II clinical trials for NV-387, a broad-spectrum antiviral designed to treat difficult viral infections.