Govt to ensure availability of life saving drugs: Dr Mirza

ISLAMABAD, Jan 13 (APP):Special Assistant to Prime Minister on National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination Dr Zafar Mirza on Monday said that the government would ensure availability of life saving drugs in the country.

In a statement, he said that the ministry had already ensured availability of 20 life saving drugs, which were earlier unavailable in the market.

He said that a task force on Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) and Drugs Manufacturer Association had been constituted to take steps in order to ensure availability of life saving drugs.

Dr Mirza directed the DRAP to continue market survey from its drug inspectors to know shortage of any medicine and make arrangement to ensure availability if there is any shortage of such medicine.

He said that the government had already made the decision of 15% reduction on prices of 89 medicines to give relief to the people in continuation of drug pricing policy 2018.

He directed the DRAP teams to continue crackdown against pharmaceutical companies for unauthorized increase in the prices of their medicines and to control smuggled medicines.

He directed the DRAP to take strict action against overpricing and start active surveillance.
He also directed them to seize the medicines in case of overpricing.

He said that legal action would be taken against those involved in unauthorized increase in prices of medicine.

He said that after reduction in prices of medicines, strict compliance of the companies would be ensured.

The crackdown would continue against those companies who were not selling medicine on approved prices, he added.