The federal government is set to review the pricing of 52 newly registered life-saving medicines at a high-level meeting scheduled for Monday, as efforts continue to make the drugs available to patients.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is expected to hold discussions with Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) CEO Dr Obaidullah Malik. The meeting will focus on the pricing of the new medicines as well as pending hardship cases.
The development follows a decision by the Cabinet Committee on Drug Pricing, headed by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, which approved the prices of 52 new medicines on July 24. The proposals had earlier been recommended by DRAP’s Drug Pricing Committee and approved by the DRAP Policy Board.
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The prices now require approval from the federal cabinet. Once approved, DRAP will issue an official notification, allowing the medicines to be sold in the market at the approved prices.
Health Minister Mustafa Kamal had earlier clarified that the 52 medicines were being considered under the price-fixation category for new molecules and were not part of hardship-based price increases.
The medicines include treatments for major health conditions such as cancer and diabetes, along with vaccines and other drugs used to treat serious and life-threatening diseases. The government says the pricing decision is intended to improve access to essential medicines while ensuring that pharmaceutical companies can continue supplying them.
Meanwhile, nearly 100 hardship cases related to medicines for different diseases are still pending. These cases are separate from the 52 newly priced medicines.
DRAP had previously recommended price increases for 105 medicines under the hardship category after manufacturers reported that higher costs of imported raw materials, energy, packaging, transportation, labour and financing, along with currency depreciation, had made production increasingly difficult.
The matter has become more pressing amid reports of shortages of more than 100 essential medicines. Pharmaceutical industry representatives have warned that prolonged shortages could increase the risk of counterfeit and substandard medicines entering the market.
The Finance Ministry has maintained that decisions on drug prices should be transparent and based on evidence and public interest. At the same time, the government needs to ensure that medicines remain affordable for patients and that essential drugs continue to be available.
After the federal cabinet gives its final approval, DRAP is expected to formally notify the new prices. The regulator’s online PharmaPrice Index also allows the public to search for registered medicines, manufacturers and officially recorded prices.