ISLAMABAD: Transparency International Pakistan (TIP), while advocating for the promotion of generic based medicines to end consumers, urged the government to implement the generic medicine policy to purchase and prescribe medicines with generic name only to benefit the masses.
In a written letter to Federal Minister for National Health Services and Regulations Mustafa Kamal, the TIP has also recommended the government to use of least cost method in public sector procurement of drugs which are registered and approved by the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) to save annually billion of rupees to the exchequer and citizens.
TIP refers to its letters dated 22 April 2021 and 9th June 2021 addressed to the managing director, Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) and officer of the prime minister.
TIP has highlighted the need that drugs/medication be made available to the ordinary citizens at the cheapest price possible. In this regard, the chief executive officer of DRAP issued an advisory to all provinces and federal controlled units, on 16th April 2021, to ensure that doctors prescribe medicines with their generic names instead of brand names, in the public and private sector throughout the country as this practice adds to the economic burden of the country.
However, this policy is facing failure of implementation. According to Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan Act, 2012 (DRAP Act), and under Article 7, Powers and functions of the Authority, all Medicines/Drugs shall be approved and registered with DRAP, and that DRAP is the only approving authority in Pakistan for quality of medications and once it registers a medicine, for example Aspirin, it means that the Aspirin’s quality and MRP is approved by DRAP.
The TIP has also drawn a comparison between the cheapest and costliest medicines of same generic, for instance an Aspirin 10 tablet pack manufactured by Karachi Pharmaceutical Laboratory was available at Rs47 while same medicine manufactured by another company Euro Pharma International was available at Rs300 per pack.
From above examples it can be seen that on average branded medicines prices are 3,000 percent to 4,000 percent higher than approved non-branded medicines. When generic medicine policy is implemented, public will get 90 percent relief in medical expenses.
The best international practices highlight that a generic medicine system is often considered beneficial for a national health policy due to its potential to improve affordability, accessibility, and efficiency in healthcare. This is because: Generic medicines are significantly cheaper and cost-effective than the brand-name drugs. Generic medicines increase access as lower costs mean more people, especially in low- income or underserved populations, can afford essential medications. In Pakistan, where affordable healthcare is a problem for wider section of the society, generic medicines can promote equitable healthcare access and help address disparities in treatment across socioeconomic groups.
Generic medicines can also foster competition in the pharmaceutical market in Pakistan, which can drive down prices further and incentivise innovation in cost-effective drug production.
TIP requests the Federal Minister for Health to look into TI Pakistan’s recommendations, probe into non-implementation of generic medicine guidelines despite clear directives of the past and issues directives on implementing generic medicine policy to save billions to the national exchequer and the citizens of Pakistan.
The TIP is striving for across the board application of Rule of Law, which is the only way to stop corruption, and achieve against Zero tolerance against Corruption.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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