Norms for human bio samples trade unveiled by India's DGFT

The Directorate General of Foreign Trade in India has laid down the conditions for import and export of human biological samples for commercial purposes recently.

As per the policy, “export and import should be permitted by “customs authorities at the port of entry/exit without prior approvals (import licence/export permit) from any other government agency, provided the concerned Indian company/ agency submits an undertaking that they are following and will follow all the applicable rules, regulations and procedures for safe transfer and disposal of the samples."

The norms are a major relief for biotech companies, contract research organizations (CROs), and research centers as the earlier licensing process required a great deal of paper work, according to a posting on the website of Brand India Pharma, a unit of Pharmexcil (The Pharmaceutical Export Promotion Council of India).