Islamabad: The federal health ministry has sought an urgent meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, involving Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal and Finance Minister Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb, to seek approval for price fixation of 52 newly registered life-saving medicines and hardship cases involving essential drugs, officials said on Wednesday.
The ministry has written to the prime minister’s adviser, Tauqeer Shah, seeking an early appointment for the two ministers, Federal Health Secretary Muhammad Aslam Ghauri and Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan Chief Executive Officer Dr Obaidullah, they added.
Although prices of the 52 medicines were approved by the Cabinet Committee on Drug Pricing last month, the products cannot be legally marketed until the federal cabinet approves the decision and DRAP notifies their maximum retail prices. The proposed meeting is aimed at securing the prime minister’s support for placing the matter before the cabinet, health ministry officials said.
The delegation would also seek approval of hardship cases relating to essential medicines whose manufacturers or importers have sought price revisions, saying continued supply at existing notified prices has become difficult.
A senior health ministry official said the delegation would brief the prime minister on the urgency of the matter, as dozens of registered medicines remained unavailable in the regulated market despite approval of their prices by the cabinet committee.
“We have requested an appointment with the prime minister for the finance and health ministers, health secretary and DRAP chief executive to seek his approval for price fixation of 52 new life-saving medicines,” the official said.
“The delegation will also request approval of hardship cases involving selected essential medicines, including influenza vaccine, morphine for cancer patients and other drugs whose supplies are under pressure at existing prices,” he added.
The Cabinet Committee on Drug Pricing, headed by Senator Aurangzeb, approved prices of the 52 medicines at its July 24 meeting after considering recommendations from DRAP’s Drug Pricing Committee and Policy Board.
The committee approved prices for all 52 cases forwarded by the Drug Pricing Committee and endorsed by the DRAP Policy Board. However, its decision requires final approval by the federal cabinet before DRAP can notify prices and allow companies to market the products in Pakistan.
Health ministry officials said the meeting with the prime minister was being sought to avoid further delays in the availability of the medicines through licensed pharmacies and hospitals.
The list includes medicines for cancer, diabetes, haemophilia, Parkinson’s disease, autoimmune disorders, blood clots, serious infections, intensive care and emergency treatment.
They include Pembrolizumab and Nivolumab, immunotherapy medicines used in several cancers; Irinotecan, Dasatinib and Leucovorin for cancer treatment; Humador insulin for diabetes; and recombinant Factor VIII for haemophilia A.
Other medicines include Carbidopa-Levodopa for Parkinson’s disease, Adalimumab for autoimmune conditions, Dabigatran and Heparin for prevention of blood clots, Methyldopa for hypertension during pregnancy, Meropenem and Fosfomycin for severe infections, and Ketamine for anaesthesia.
Vaccines, radiology contrast agents and medicines used in intensive care units and emergency departments are also among the approved cases.
For patients requiring cancer treatment, insulin, clot-prevention medicines or specialised therapies for haemophilia, their absence from licensed pharmacies can mean costly personal imports, interrupted treatment or dependence on informal sellers.
Officials said some patients were forced to seek smuggled or unregistered medicines, whose quality, storage conditions and authenticity could not be reliably verified.
“The objective is not a general price increase,” the senior official said. “It is to ensure that patients can obtain critical, quality-assured medicines through the regulated supply chain instead of being pushed towards unverified alternatives.”
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