ISLAMABAD: Ministry of National Health Services has said that the government has not approved any increase in price of essential drugs and recently announced hike in drug prices by the pharmaceutical industry will not be implemented at least by September.
The spokesperson of the Ministry of National Health Services on Sunday said that Drug Pricing Policy, 2018, granted the manufacturer with an annual right to automatically increase prices by 7 per cent and 10 per cent without the government’s right to intervene.
Drug Pricing Policy, 2018, has been revised by the federal government to bring it in lines with Drug Act 1976 and to remove legal lacunae, said the spokesperson. In doing so, the government has created a step-in clause in Drug Pricing Policy whereby the government can exclude any category of drugs from annual increase of price.
The DRAP has recently notified the amendments made by the government to Drug Pricing Policy, 2018. The spokesperson said that the government has not approved any increase in price of essential drugs as incorrectly reported in some media. All this was done in the backdrop of assurance given by the pharmaceutical industry that it will not apply for annual raise of drug prices at least till September.
The industry has gone back on its words and about one hundred drug companies have applied for annual increase in prices. The government has the right to step in to freeze any or all drug prices to safeguard public interest in view of the Covid-19 situation, concluded the spokesperson.
