THE Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has expanded its list of value-added tax (VAT)-exempt medicines to 2,277, adding 14 drugs to the list. The updated roster includes medicines for cancer, hypertension, diabetes, mental illness, high cholesterol, kidney disease and tuberculosis. The BIR said the exemptions are provided under recent tax laws. The latest circular supersedes previous issuances that are inconsistent with the updated list.