ISLAMABAD, Jan 23: Federal Minister for Commerce and Trade, Abdul Razak Dawood on Wednesday said that the government was sincerely evolving a de-regulation policy for pharmaceutical industry.

Mr. Dawood said that all over the world, the governments were encouraging the policy of de-controlling and liberalization in pharma industry.

He said this in a meeting with the representatives of pharmaceutical industry, said an official announcement.

The minister said 70 per cent of anomalies in tariff re- structuring have been removed. The minister said that he would make all out efforts to eliminate 100 per cent anomalies in tariff rationalization.

He said 1976 Drug Control Act needs to be reviewed after consulting health and law ministries.

For this purpose, the minister asked the industry people to give their input in the shape of qualitative suggestion in next meeting.

The commerce minister said that this industry should follow the market mechanism and the government role should be restricted to facilitator and business friendly regulator.

Speaking on the occasion, secretary, industries Dr Akram Shaikh said that the purpose of such meetings was to know the problems of industries and to formulate long-term viable and rational drug policies so that common man was benefited.

He also stress the need for revising the control list, making simple and less time-consuming registration process and rational price control system of life saving drugs.

The meeting also proposed setting up of committee under senior joint secretary industries, Shakeel Ahmed with its members from Central Board of Revenue(CBR), ministry of health, pharmaceutical industry and renowned professors of medicines/pharmacy to give their proposals on compiling the control list containing number of drugs compatible to other countries of the region.