Medicine HSN Code: Understanding HSN Classifications for Medicines

What Is the Medicine HSN Code?

Under GST, most medicines are classified in the chapter that covers pharmaceutical products. This chapter includes medicaments for human and veterinary use in the form of tablets, capsules, syrups, injections, ointments and similar products.

Medicines are grouped mainly under headings for medicaments put up in measured doses or in forms or packings for retail sale. These headings cover a wide range of formulations, whether they are allopathic, ayurvedic, homeopathic or other recognised systems of medicine.

Within these headings, detailed lines distinguish between different types of medicaments and pharmaceutical goods. However, for day to day billing and GST returns, most wholesale and retail businesses work with common four digit HSN families for medicines.

HSN Code for Ayurvedic, Allopathic, and Homeopathic Medicines

Ayurvedic medicines that follow classical texts or are proprietary ayurvedic formulations are usually classified in the medicaments headings of the pharmaceutical chapter. Their HSN code is generally drawn from the same four digit family that covers other medicaments, with further detail at the six or eight digit level.

Allopathic medicines such as common pain relief tablets, antibiotics, syrups, injections and chronic disease medicines are also classified in the main medicament headings. Most retail packs of allopathic medicines fall under the HSN family for medicaments in measured doses or in packings for retail sale.

Homeopathic medicines, whether in globules, tablets, drops or mother tinctures, are similarly grouped under medicament headings in the pharmaceutical chapter. Their HSN code comes from the same broad family that covers other medicaments, although their detailed subheadings are specific to homeopathic preparations.

In practice, distributors, chemists and hospitals assign the same four digit medicament HSN group to ayurvedic, allopathic and homeopathic medicines and then use item descriptions and internal codes to distinguish between systems of medicine and brands.

Conclusion

The medicine HSN code system groups allopathic, ayurvedic, homeopathic and other medicaments in a common pharmaceutical chapter, with detailed headings for vaccines, medicaments and related pharmaceutical goods.

After the GST changes from 22 September 2025, most regular medicines fall in the 5% slab while notified life saving medicines are at 0%. When pharmacies, distributors and hospitals use the correct HSN codes and GST rates on every invoice, their billing stays accurate, input tax credit flows smoothly and the risk of notices or penalties for wrong classification is reduced.