ISLAMABAD: It might come as a shock to many, especially patients suffering from cancer and their families, that medicine used in the treatment of the disease is 23 times costlier in Pakistan compared to India.

A letter sent by the Federal Inspector of Drugs, Karachi, Obaid Ali, to Secretary Health Services Ayub Sheikh showed that a well-known pharmaceutical company was selling a medicine used by patients suffering from liver and kidney cancers at a very high rate.

However, the director pricing at the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap), Amanullah, said India had managed to decrease the price by manufacturing the drug locally under compulsory licensing but in Pakistan not a single company had offered to manufacture the drug. So the price of the imported medicine cannot be reduced, he said.

The compulsory licensing is a term in which the government allows someone else to produce the patented product or process without the consent of the patent owner. Because of the compulsory licensing, imported drug can be manufactured locally at a very low cost.

The letter, available with Dawn, says that the medicine containing molecule ‘Sorafinb’, which is used by the patient for one month, is imported at a rate of Rs100,000 and sold in the market for Rs232,800.

The letter says that cancer patients in Pakistan were being exploited as the medicine with the same molecule was available in India for Pakistani Rs10,000 only.

The NHS secretary has been requested to take immediate action and bring down the price to a reasonable level. The letter also suggested that a committee be formed to assess the case and find out how the price was approved.

An official of the NHS ministry, requesting not to be identified, said there were many cases where medicines were available at high prices in Pakistan compared to the international and Indian markets.

“All governments have the option under the compulsory licensing to produce a medicine at a lower rate just like India is doing. The ministry should request some company to make the medicine. The price of the medicine made from the molecule Sorafinb was fixed in 2008,” he claimed.

Mr Amanullah told Dawn that when the price was fixed in 2008, it was compared to the regional markets.

“There was same price in India which was fixed in Pakistan. Moreover, we demanded a bit concession from the company so the medicine is being sold for Rs170,000. However, in India, a company offered to make the medicine under the compulsory licensing due to which the price of locally manufactured drug of same molecule was decreased,” he said.

“In India, the price of imported drug is still equal to Pakistan. However, as long as any company does not offer to make the medicine under the compulsory licensing, it cannot be manufactured in Pakistan. There is no fault of the ministry, Drap or any other government department,” he said.

When contacted, the federal inspector of drugs, Karachi, Obaid Ali, confirmed that he had sent the letter to the secretary.

The NHS secretary, Ayub Sheikh, who is also heading the pricing committee, confirmed that he had received the letter and was looking into the matter.

The department concerned has been instructed to explain as the price was fixed many years ago, he added.

“I will respond to the letter officially and it will be ensured that people would not suffer,” he said.

“We have a price increasing mechanism and till 2016 prices of drugs cannot be increased. The prices in regional markets are taken into account before the rate of a drug is fixed. A number of medicines are being sold at high rates and many are available at lower prices as compared to India. However, in the Indian market, drugs are being sold at the overall 36 per cent higher rates,” Mr Sheikh said.

Published in Dawn, May 22nd, 2015

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