Prices of 52 Life-Saving Drugs in Pakistan Expected to Be Fixed This Month
核心洞察
Pakistan's Prime Minister, Health Minister, Finance Minister, and DRAP CEO are scheduled to meet to finalize pricing for 52 newly registered life-saving medicines.
The DRAP Policy Board and Pricing Committee have already approved maximum retail prices, with the Cabinet Drug Pricing Committee approving the medicines on July 24.
The medicines cover cancer (搜索), diabetes (搜索), hemophilia (搜索), autoimmune disorders, and critical-care conditions, including Keytruda, nivolumab, dasatinib, meropenem, and insulin.
Prices for 52 life-saving drugs are likely to be fixed this month, following a scheduled meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the Federal Minister for Health, and officials from the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (搜索) (DRAP).
According to sources, the Prime Minister, Federal Minister for Health Syed Mustafa Kamal, Federal Minister for Finance Muhammad Aurangzeb, and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of DRAP will hold a meeting on Monday. Officials are expected to brief the Prime Minister on the pricing of new drugs, with the primary objective of securing the Prime Minister's support for pricing the 52 new drugs.
Regulatory Process and Approvals
The Cabinet's Drug Pricing Committee and DRAP have already determined the maximum retail prices for the new medications. These prices have been approved by both the DRAP Policy Board and the pricing committee. According to sources, the Cabinet Drug Pricing Committee approved the medicines on July 24.
Approval for the 52 newly registered medicines will subsequently be sought from the federal cabinet. Following cabinet approval, DRAP will issue a notification formally announcing the prices of the new medicines.
Medicines Included in the Approved List
The medicines include treatments for cancer (搜索), diabetes (搜索), hemophilia (搜索), autoimmune disorders, and critical-care conditions. Specific drugs named in the approved list include:
- Keytruda, an immunotherapy medicine used to treat more than 20 types of cancer
- Nivolumab, an immunotherapy medicine used for several types of cancer
- Dasatinib, which treats certain forms of leukaemia
- Meropenem, an antibiotic used for treating serious bacterial infections
- Insulin, which controls blood sugar levels in people with diabetes
Pending Hardship Cases
Cases involving approximately 100 medicines for various diseases still remain pending for final approval. The Ministry of National Health Services urged the need for faster approval of medicine prices, noting that delays in registration and pricing had made it difficult for patients to access essential medicines, forcing patients to rely on costly imports or unregistered products.
The meeting is also expected to address the resolution of these pending hardship cases, according to sources.