Islamabad: A cabinet committee headed by Finance and Revenue Minister Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb has approved the prices of 52 newly registered life-saving medicines, including cancer drugs, insulin, vaccines and other essential medicines, following a strong push by Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal.
The decision came after Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal, Health Secretary Muhammad Aslam Ghauri and Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) Chief Executive Officer Dr Obaidullah persuaded the Cabinet Committee on Drug Pricing to approve the prices of newly registered medicines.
They argued that prolonged delays were depriving thousands of patients of quality-assured treatment and forcing many to rely on smuggled, unregistered and potentially spurious medicines because the products could not be legally marketed without government-approved prices.
The committee approved the prices of all 52 medicines recommended by the Drug Pricing Committee and endorsed by the DRAP Policy Board. The recommendations will now be sent to the federal cabinet for final approval. Once approved, DRAP will notify the maximum retail prices, enabling the medicines to be legally marketed through licensed manufacturers, importers and pharmacies across Pakistan.
The decision was taken at the eighth meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Drug Pricing, constituted by the prime minister to consider recommendations of the DRAP Drug Pricing Committee and the DRAP Policy Board.
Besides Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb, the meeting was attended by Federal Minister for National Health Services Mustafa Kamal, Federal Minister for Defence Production Muhammad Raza Hayat Harraj, Health Secretary Muhammad Aslam Ghauri, DRAP Chief Executive Officer Dr Obaidullah and senior officials from the finance, commerce and health ministries.
During the meeting, DRAP presented recommendations on new drug price fixation cases, hardship applications, pricing matters and the availability of essential medicines. Officials informed the committee that all 52 medicines had already completed Pakistan’s regulatory approval process.
Their prices had been recommended by the Drug Pricing Committee and endorsed by the DRAP Policy Board but remained pending because newly registered medicines cannot be marketed until the federal government approves and notifies their maximum retail prices.
Health officials told the committee that the pending cases did not involve increasing the prices of medicines already available in the market. Instead, they related to fixing prices of newly registered medicines so they could be supplied through licensed pharmacies.
They maintained that patients whose doctors prescribed these medicines had increasingly been forced to obtain them through unofficial channels, where there was no assurance regarding quality, authenticity or proper storage conditions.
Addressing the meeting, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said drug pricing decisions should remain transparent, evidence-based and consultative while serving the broader public interest. He stressed the need to balance patients’ access to essential medicines with the sustainability of pharmaceutical supplies and affordability, while ensuring greater public understanding of decisions affecting critical medicines.
The medicines approved for price fixation include Pembrolizumab (Keytruda), one of the world’s leading immunotherapy medicines approved for more than 20 cancers, including lung, breast, cervical, kidney, bladder, stomach and skin cancers. Other important oncology medicines include Nivolumab, Irinotecan, Dasatinib and Leucovorin.
The approved list also includes Humador insulin for diabetes, Adalimumab for autoimmune diseases, Recombinant Factor VIII for haemophilia A, Carbidopa-Levodopa for Parkinson’s disease, Dabigatran and Heparin for preventing blood clots, Methyldopa for hypertension during pregnancy, broad-spectrum antibiotics including Meropenem and Fosfomycin, Ketamine for anaesthesia, besides vaccines, radiology contrast agents and medicines used in intensive care units and emergency departments.
Health experts and representatives of the pharmaceutical industry welcomed the committee’s decision, saying it would improve patients’ access to innovative and essential medicines through licensed pharmacies while reducing dependence on smuggled, counterfeit and substandard products circulating in the informal market.
Following approval by the federal cabinet, DRAP will issue formal price notifications, paving the way for all 52 newly registered life-saving medicines to become legally available in Pakistan.
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