ISLAMABAD: The CCP and DRAP MoU brings the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) and the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) into a formal partnership to strengthen oversight of the pharmaceutical market, officials said. The collaboration will focus on drug pricing, availability, advertising practices and joint action against cartelization to protect patients and ensure fair competition.
What the MoU covers
The agreement sets out a practical framework for cooperation between the two agencies. Key elements include:
- Establishing a framework for effective monitoring of drug prices and availability.
- Reviewing and taking action against misleading advertisements of pharmaceutical products.
- Conducting joint monitoring and probes into cartelization and anti-competitive practices in the pharmaceutical market.
- Enhancing policy research, institutional capacity building and systematic data sharing.
- Coordinating to prevent deceptive online marketing of medicines.
- Taking joint measures to ensure the availability of essential drugs and protect consumers.
Importance of the MoU
The pharmaceutical market directly affects public health and household budgets. This MoU aims to combine CCP’s competition enforcement expertise with DRAP’s regulatory authority over medicines, creating a stronger defence against price manipulation, shortages and false claims that can harm patients and undermine trust in health services.
Sultan Amin, Member of CCP, highlighted the growing threat of deceptive online marketing and stressed that joint monitoring will help curb misleading promotions that can put consumers at risk. Dr. Ubaidullah, CEO of DRAP, underscored the need for coordinated efforts to ensure the uninterrupted supply of essential medicines and to protect the public from unsafe or falsely advertised products.
Expected outcomes, next steps
Officials said the two agencies will form joint task teams, share relevant market and surveillance data, and run coordinated investigations where evidence of anticompetitive behaviour or regulatory violations emerges. The MoU will also enable joint public communication and policy recommendations to protect patient safety and market integrity.
Healthcare stakeholders, including industry players, pharmacies and patient groups, are expected to benefit from clearer enforcement signals and faster resolution of supply or pricing issues. Regulators hope the move will reduce stock-outs of critical medicines, limit unjustified price hikes and cut down on misleading claims that drive inappropriate medicine use.
Expert perspective
Combining competition law with regulatory oversight is a best-practice approach in many jurisdictions to keep essential medicine markets competitive and transparent. By pooling technical resources and data, CCP and DRAP increase their capacity to detect sophisticated market manipulation and coordinate remedies that protect both consumers and legitimate manufacturers.
