Islamabad: The federal government has approved the long-awaited price fixation of 35 new essential and life-saving medicines, with another 45 molecules expected to be cleared soon, in a move aimed at ending critical shortages that had disrupted treatment for patients across Pakistan, a senior official at the Ministry of National Health Services said on Saturday.
Around 35 life-saving drugs, including novel cancer therapies, vaccines and biological products, remained unavailable in the country since 2024 despite their registration by the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP), as the government had delayed their price fixation for nearly two years.
The official said the decision, approved by the federal cabinet, would immediately improve the availability of several high-priority therapies that had remained inaccessible due to prolonged delays, forcing patients to either go without treatment or rely on costly and often unregulated smuggled medicines.
According to the official, Federal Health Minister Dr Syed Mustafa Kamal personally took up the matter at the highest level, presenting the case before the cabinet and briefing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the urgency of ensuring access to critical medicines.
“The prime minister was informed that delays in price approvals were not only disrupting supply chains but also putting lives at risk, particularly in cases requiring uninterrupted treatment,” he added.
Officials at DRAP confirmed that the medicines affected by the delay included a wide range of critical therapies such as oncology drugs, transplant medicines, cardiovascular treatments and vaccines, including Typhoid Vi, polio and pneumococcal vaccines. Other essential products impacted included recombinant human coagulation factor VIII, human rabies immunoglobulin and semaglutide, among others.
They said the non-availability of these medicines had created serious gaps in treatment, especially for patients suffering from cancer, haemophilia, severe infections and chronic conditions.
In many cases, patients were left with no option but to procure medicines through informal channels, exposing them to risks related to quality, safety and efficacy.
“The delay in price fixation had effectively blocked the formal supply of several new and advanced therapies despite completion of regulatory requirements,” the official said, adding that the fresh approvals would restore lawful supply chains and improve treatment continuity.
The Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers’ Association (PPMA) welcomed the government’s decision, calling it a timely intervention to address acute shortages of essential medicines.
In a statement, the association appreciated the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Federal Health Minister Dr Mustafa Kamal, the federal cabinet and DRAP for resolving what it described as a long-standing issue affecting patient care.
The PPMA said that for the past two years, the industry had repeatedly highlighted that delays in price fixation approvals were restricting the availability of essential medicines, including new molecules and advanced treatment options, thereby limiting therapeutic choices for healthcare providers.
The association noted that the shortages had not only disrupted the formal supply chain but had also increased reliance on smuggled and unregulated medicines, posing serious risks to public health.
Terming the latest approvals a “turning point” for the healthcare system, the PPMA said the decision would help restore the availability of critical therapies, improve clinical outcomes and reduce dependence on unsafe alternatives.
It also acknowledged the role of the health minister in building consensus among stakeholders and pushing the case forward, saying his efforts were instrumental in securing cabinet approval for the long-pending notifications.
The association expressed hope that improved local availability of medicines would also open avenues for exports as regional markets continue to expand in key therapeutic areas.
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