Pharma markets face shortage of over 100 life-saving drugs
KARACHI: More than 100 life-saving medicines are currently unavailable in Pakistan, making it difficult for patients to access essential treatment for conditions including cancer, hypertension, and diabetes, according to drug manufacturers and suppliers. They say medicines have been going out of production one by one over the past two years, as rising costs have exceeded their prices in retail…
Pakistan is currently facing a shortage of over 100 life-saving drugs, posing challenges for patients who need essential treatments for conditions like cancer, hypertension, and diabetes, according to drug manufacturers and suppliers. These companies have been struggling to produce and supply these medicines due to rising costs outpacing retail prices, making their operations financially unviable.
Despite repeatedly petitioning the government to revise medicine prices, the authorities have yet to address their requests. The Drug Pricing Policy 2018 mandates the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) to review such cases within 60-90 days of their submission, yet applications to increase prices have remained pending for over two years.
Consequently, some medicines have ceased production. Former chairman of the Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Association (PPMA) Tauqeer Ul Haq highlighted that the 105 medicines currently missing could be just the tip of the iceberg, as the actual number of hardship cases is significantly higher. Manufacturers are not requesting price increases but rather an upward revision of prices for medicines that have become unprofitable to produce.
The government retains the authority to set prices for life-saving drugs, accounting for approximately 40% (or 500 molecules) of all medicines sold in Pakistan. PPMA senior vice chairman Kamran Nasir emphasized that the Drug Regulatory Authority (DRAP) and Drug Pricing Committee have recommended new prices for hardship cases, but the federal cabinet has failed to approve these recommendations for over two years.
Pakistan is the sole country in the world where DRAP submits hardship case recommendations to the cabinet for final approval, a process Nasir deems unnecessary as DRAP should hold the final authority. Recent meetings with government officials have resulted in a call to empower DRAP to regulate drug prices immediately.
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