Forty newly registered medicines have not yet become available in the market due to the absence of approval from the federal government.
Important medicines for cancer, diabetes, hemophilia, Parkinson’s disease, heart conditions, and severe infections are awaiting price approval.
Due to the unavailability of these medicines, many patients are being forced to rely on unregistered, personally imported, or smuggled medicines.
The Federal Ministry of Health has stated that the issue is not related to increasing the prices of existing medicines but to determining the prices of newly registered medicines. Price approval has already been granted for 35 newly registered medicines, while efforts are ongoing with the federal government for the approval of another 40 medicines.
According to the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan, recommendations regarding the prices of 40 new medicines have already been sent to the federal government. The legal sale of these newly registered medicines will only be possible after final price approval is granted.
Meanwhile, the pharmaceutical industry and chemists’ organizations have urged the federal government to immediately approve the prices of the newly registered medicines.
