India's Drugs, Medical Devices and Cosmetics Bill, 2026 empowers DCGI
India is preparing the Drugs, Medical Devices and Cosmetics Bill, 2026 to replace the old 1940 law.
The new bill aims to make medicine and device regulations smarter, giving more power to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), speeding up product approvals, tightening bail for serious drug offenses, and making it easier to recall unsafe products quickly.
Dedicated devices chapter and trial waivers
For the first time, medical devices get their own dedicated chapter.
There is also a plan for a Medical Devices Technical Advisory Board alongside the existing drugs board, with the former filled with experts from government, academia, and industry.
Plus, DCGI will now have authority to step in if state regulators do not act fast enough.
Regulators can even skip some trial data if public health demanded that new drugs or medical devices reach people sooner.