ISLAMABAD: Patients suffering from rare diseases can import their medicines directly instead of depending on hospitals or illegal channels as they do now, according to the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap).

Drap Chief Executive Officer Dr Muhammad Aslam broke the news to the National Assembly Standing Committee on National Health Services (NHS) during a discussion on the pricing of drugs and how to rid the market of spurious drugs.

Usually, hospitals import the medicines after securing a No Objection Certificate (NOC), he informed the committee. “But the patients of rare diseases also enjoy that option under the law – import their medicines by securing NOC from Drap,” he said.

“However, a large number of doctors and patients are not aware of this,” he added.

Dr Aslam told the meeting, held in the Ministry of NHS and chaired by MNA Kahlid Hussain Magsi, that last year 3,324 persons were convicted of selling spurious drugs.

“An amount of Rs 64.83 million was recovered from them in fines. Data from Gilgit-Baltistan was not available but in all, over Rs70 million worth of fines were imposed during 2015 for manufacturing spurious drugs,” he said.

Another 4,959 cases of spurious drugs are being tried in courts, and the new rules being debated since then may bring in about Rs 100 million in fines from manufacturers of spurious or substandard drugs.

MNA Dr Fouzia Hameed suggested that a lifetime ban should be imposed on the manufacturing companies and people running the trade.

“There should be a mechanism to ensure drug quality and the NHS ministry should give patients the option to import medicines,” she said.

While talking to Dawn Dr Aslam said that some are genetic diseases are found only in a few families and that some people suffer a rare cancer. Pharmaceutical companies cannot produce medicines for them because of the extremely limited demand.

“Some medical stores provide the patients with the service of getting them imported drugs for them but they use illegal means for that. Though they charge extra, the quality of drugs can be doubtful,” he said.

“In the case of rare diseases, people should get NOC from Drap and directly import the medicine to ensure good quality and avoid over pricing,” he advised.

Amendment in Drap Act Rejected.

MNA Dr Fouzia Hameed tabled an amended bill to increase fines and punishment in case of spurious and substandard drugs but the representative of Ministry of Law said that as the health sector has been devolved to provinces, any amendment in the law will be applicable only in the federal capital.

“Better change the rules through a notification,” suggested the law ministry official as, he said, the amendment bill will have to be passed by the provinces as well, or at least by two provincial assemblies under Article 144 for wider application.

According to the Constitution, if the assemblies of any two provinces pass bills on same issue, the federal government can enforce the bill’s intent all over the country.

Published in Dawn, August 11th, 2016