LAHORE: A petition has been filed in the Lahore High Court against the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) for its failure to ensure sale of life-saving medicines at low prices.

Advocate Humayon Faiz Rasool filed the petition, pleading that the drug companies in the country had been selling medicines at exorbitant prices unchecked.

He argued that it was illegal to exploit common citizens through charging inflated prices of medical and health items, in view of various provisions of the Constitution. He pointed out that many countries had successfully controlled drug prices through enforcement of a strict regulatory system.

However, the lawyer stated in Pakistan the DRAP had never introduced any strict policy for the betterment of the poor. He said drug prices had been increasing from 10 per cent to 40pc or more annually, on an average, for several years.

Advocate Rasool argued that price hike had been taking place at a time when inflation rate was not very high.

He asked the court to order the DRAP and other authorities to ensure availability of best quality local medicines at low prices and to effectively handle issues relating to manufacturing, export, import, storage, distribution and sale of medicines.

He further said the Punjab health department be also ordered to make all life-saving drugs available in the government hospitals and dispensaries as well.

Published in Dawn, July 23rd, 2017