The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has launched countrywide crackdown against the pharma companies involved in illegal and unauthorised increase in prices of medicines. According to a spokesperson for the Drug Regulatory Authority, the action has been initiated after Minister for Health Aamir Kiani took notice of the surge in medicines prices.
The pharmaceutical watchdog has sprung into action after reports that some pharmaceutical companies have increased their drug prices by 100 percent. The spokesperson said action has been taken against 31 pharmaceutical companies' 143 drugs and stopped their production. These pharmaceutical companies have also been barred from producing medicines and cases are being registered against them as per the Drug Act.
One hundred and forty-three medicines have also been seized which were being sold at high price. In his remarks, Minister for Health Aamir Kiani said stern action will be taken against the companies which breach the law. The DRAP gave the go ahead for pharmaceutical companies to increase medicine prices by 15 percent but some companies have taken advantage and raised their prices more than the allowed amount. The watchdog is taking action against companies across the country and has imposed heavy fines on the 31 companies.
The action was taken on the orders of Federal Health Minister Aamir Kiyani. The DRAP has also written to its provincial offices regarding this action. A representative of the authority said that they are conducting a survey of medicine prices across the country. Earlier, the Lahore High Court issued the DRAP and government notices in a case against the medicine price increase.