RAWALPINDI, June 27: Pakistan Chemists and Druggists Association (PCDA) on Wednesday slammed the recent increase in prices of medicines and life-saving drugs and warned that the retailers would boycott the medicines in case the government failed to withdraw the hike.

The association said that Drug Regulatory Authority (DRA) and pharmaceutical manufacturers had increased the prices of medicines on Monday without taking the drug price control committee into confidence.

Chairman PCDA Zahid Bakhtawari and other office-bearers of the association including traders’ representatives said that prices of medicines had already been hiked beyond the purchasing power of common people and the fresh increase would simply result in a serious crisis for ordinary people.

“The prices of life-saving drugs like syrup and vaccines have been increased by 170 per cent and this increase is synonymous to mass murder of people.

“We will challenge the decision in the Supreme Court if the fresh increase is not withdrawn,” Mr Bakhtawari warned.

He said the oral dehydration salt (ORS) that was available at Rs10, would now be sold at Rs27 per packing warning that the increase was not acceptable to chemists and retailers as it was unjustified as well as cruel.

The association said that according to World Health Organisation (WHO), over 70 per cent mothers in Pakistan could not feed their infants with their milk and argued that formula milk was a major source of food for such children but the prices of that had also been increased by more than 50 per cent.

Advocate Zafarul Hassan Joya, coordinator legal wing of PCDA said the increase in prices of medicines would be challenged in court if the government and pharmaceutical manufacturers failed to withdraw the hike.— Inamullah Khattak