ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Young Pharmacist Association (PYPA) on Wednesday said removing the mandatory government control on medicine prices and registration of banned medicines were not only violation of Constitutional guarantees afforded to every citizen of Pakistan but a grave violation of Drugs Act 1976 and violation of Drap Act 2012.

It has alleged that foreign tours of Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap) officials, sponsored by private Pharmaceutical Companies and Transfer Pricing (money laundering) were rampant in pharma sector.

In a letter, written to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the association has alleged that some elements in health departments were encouraging transfer pricing. Moreover it has alleged that some pharmaceutical companies were bribing government officials into removing mandatory government control on medicine prices.

The letter, written by PYPA General Secretary Dr Furqan Ibrahim, claimed that Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) always focused on welfare of poor patients and provision of free medicines in government hospitals.

“If medicine prices would increase by 10 times on average then it would be almost impossible for the government to give free medicines in government hospitals. The prices of life saving medicines have been decontrolled; the government mandatory control remained only to the extent of essential drug list of World Health Organisation (WHO) i.e. medicines needed for basic health units,” he said.

While sharing the profit margin, letter has claimed that some pharma companies get profit of over Rs1 billion if their any product’s price is increased by Rs50.

“Once removing mandatory government control on medicine prices was proposed by the than Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz in March 2002, but PYPA informed the than President General Pervez Musharaf that market forces cannot determine the medicine prices in Pakistan, because in almost every commodity there is one person who has to determine, whether he buys or not.

In purchasing medicines there are three different persons involved--client, doctor and attendant of patient or patient himself. Unfortunately, 999 out of 1,000 doctors are not prescribing medicines and diagnostic tests on real disease based; rather prescription is based on the volume of bribe paid by pharmaceutical companies and diagnostic laboratories to doctors; which is a homicidal crime,” it stated.

“Pharmaceutical companies are profit-making organisations, they don’t believe in charity. How can weassume that pharma companies would reduce their profits or business. On the other hand, some officials of Drap are also involved in favouring companies,” it stated.

The association has alleged that a former Chief Justice of Pakistan played a “wicked” role in medicine price increase as his daughters were running three pharmaceutical companies. A former CEO Drap declared himself dead in a case of NAB.

The prime minister has been urged to take notice and address the issue of exorbitant prices of medicines.

Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2024