Medicines: Non-availability, black-marketing cause surge in mental diseases

ISLAMABAD: While expressing serious concerns over increase in mental diseases in the country, leading pharma industry figures have accused the Ministry of Narcotics Control and Anti-Narcotic Force (ANF) for the non-availability of psychiatry-related drugs.

In an exclusive chat with Business Recorder, here on Thursday, former chairman Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PPMA) Dr Kaisar Waheed Sheikh said that non-availability and black-marketing of medicines cause rapid increase in mental diseases in Pakistan.

Sheikh revealed that mental diseases have rapidly been surging in Pakistan and currently stood at 30 percent of adult population as per Pakistan Psychiatric Society (PPS), majority of them women.

“The main reason of surge in mental diseases is non-availability of medicines in the Pakistani market due to its black-marketing besides manufacturing of fake and sub-standard medicines,” he said.

Coming hard on the Ministry of Narcotics Control, he said the ministry was also creating undue hurdles in manufacturing of the medicines to cure mental diseases. He said that the government needs to strengthen the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) instead of allowing the Ministry of Narcotics Control to allocate drug quotas being used by the pharma industry for producing medicines related to mental health.

He demanded of the government to interfere into the matter and address this genuine issue of pharma industry so quality medicines could be provided to the patients at affordable rates.

Former PPMA chairman said 90 percent country’s medicines’ need was being fulfilled through local production. The pharma industry was providing quality medicines to the people at affordable prices, he added.

He said that they wanted to enhance the medicine exports to $3 billion over the next few years and the industry has also committed to the government if a conducive business environment is provided to the industry, Pakistani healthcare exports would touch $5 billion by the end of 2028.

He was of the views that it was not possible without the support of the government and not taking on board the relevant stakeholders in policy making decision regarding export of medicines to other countries.

The former chairman PPMA said that medicines’ prices in Pakistan were the lowest in the region despite host of problems being faced by the pharma industry. Despite confronting various issues, the pharma industry was not only continuously growing but has also earned precious foreign reserves, he remarked.

He stressed the need to invest more and more in medicinal research. He also highlighted problems confronting the pharma industry.

Pakistan since 2020 is facing an acute shortage of various brain-related drugs such as Epival tablets 250 mg/500 mg and tablet Rivotil are prescribed for patients suffering from head injuries and other brain-related injuries but are not available in the market.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024