Essential medicines: PPMA urges federal cabinet to approve prices

The federal cabinet has yet to approve the prices of essential medicines and registration of new novel molecules duly processed and approved by the Drug Regulatory Authority Pakistan (DRAP) since Feb 2019, thus depriving patients in Pakistan of cure from various critical ailments.

While urging the DRAP to take up the matter with federal cabinet, Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers' Association (PPMA) has said the cabinet must consider the minutes of the Drugs Pricing Committee (DPC) meeting held Feb 2019. In a letter to DRAP CEO Asim Rauf, the association stated that for the smooth availability of essential medicine, the DRAP ensured to take up long awaited DPC minutes of Feb 2019 before the federal cabinet for approval. It has been learnt that the cabinet has not yet approved the minutes of a meeting of the Drug Regulatory Authority's pricing committee held in Feb 2019. This means that the DRAP has already approved these important drugs but failed to get the final approval from the cabinet since long.

These drugs and products are meant for stroke, flu, hepatitis B and E, breast cancer, malaria, inhalers, the ADHD, and rabies etc. "These drugs and products are easily available in other countries but here in Pakistan they are awaiting approval from the cabinet to reach the public," said a source.

The drugs and products include Eliquis Film Coated Tablets, Apixaban Tablets, Vaxigrip textra, Octanate F, Caflam, Ritalin LA Capsules, VEMLIDY Film Coated Tablet, Trimbow Inhaler Pressurized Metered Dose, Hecolin, Ibrance Capsule, Aubagio Film Coated Tablet, IMOJEV Japanese Encephalitis Vaccine, Essentiale Forte Capsule, Pyramax, and Roan."