–One vial of Actemra is being sold for Rs150,000 in the black market
LAHORE: Actemra, the antiviral drug being used for treating coronavirus patients, is being sold in the black market, which limits the role of the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) as it can only control the prices of drugs listed with them.
Pakistan Today investigated the matter and found that a person named Salman was selling the 20mg of the drug online. When contacted, he said that he would deliver it at customers’ homes in Lahore. “You have to complete the 500mg dosage, which would cost Rs750,000, and one 80mg vial would cost Rs150,000,” he said, reiterating that it is an important medicine and would only be delivered at the customer’s home.
When DRAP was contacted in this regard, an official said that they regulate the prices off medicines only listed with them. The official said that DRAP has a proper mechanism for regulating the prices of medicines and in case a patient needs a medicine that is not registered with DRAP, there are SROs in this case and a given quantity can be imported, but the doctor’s prescription is a necessity and they need to mention that the prescribed medicine is unregistered. There is a proper procedure and various documents, including the CNIC of the patient, are required but under the present circumstances, various companies can collect CNICs of patients for getting NOC for imports, and these medicines do not have a price tag and are sold at any price the seller wants, the official added.
The official further said that Ectemra and Remdesivir are not registered with DRAP, however, Ferozsons has applied for Remdesivir’s licence.
Interestingly, a Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) official told this scribe that the agency cannot do much on this matter. The official said that this matter comes under the domain of the government and DRAP and they can only take action on illegal production of medicines upon complaint.
Speaking to Pakistan Today, University of Health Sciences (UHS) Vice Chancellor Dr Javed Akram said that Actemra and many other antiviral medicines are experimental drugs at the moment and it is not certain whether they are effective against the virus. “Actemra is a brand name and medicines with the same chemical formulations are available in the market at a cheaper cost,” he said, adding that people should be made aware of this.
Ferozsons Laboratories Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Osman Waheed said that they had a final meeting for getting the licence and once the get approval they can start the process of manufacturing the medicine. He added that they would import the raw material for this medicine after DRAP’s approval and within six to eight weeks of getting their permit, it would be available in the market.
Regarding its price, he said that it is being sold for Rs20,000 in Bangladesh and they are giving patients a course of 11 injections, whereas studies suggest that each course should be of six injections in five days. “Each injection is 100mg and two doses are given on the first day while on the remaining days, the injection is administered once every day,” he said. “We have applied for a lower price and we try our best to sell it at the lowest possible price.”
He further said that if DRAP gives them immediate approval, Remdesivir would be available in the market by July.
