Shehbaz Sharif establishes committee to tackle drug pricing issues in Pakistan

August 01, 2024 (MLN): Under the direction of the Prime Minister, a committee has been constituted to address drug pricing in Pakistan and tackle current issues related to the pharmaceutical industry.

The Law Minister chaired the committee's first meeting yesterday, where relevant stakeholders presented an overview of the operations of independent price authorities and their functions worldwide, highlighting best practices.

The committee deliberated on the best model for Pakistan, considering various viewpoints from all stakeholders.

It was decided that a detailed working paper will be prepared for the next meeting.

Key areas to be addressed include, Issues related to pricing in the market, Medicine imports and the market distortions they cause and Categories of drugs that fall outside the domain of government pricing.

Additionally, efforts and plans will be made to create a favorable environment to attract back international pharmaceutical companies that previously operated in Pakistan.

The committee emphasized that the functions of pricing and regulation are distinct.

The regulator's role is to ensure the standards of medicine, whereas pricing should be driven by market mechanisms without state control.

Further updates will be shared as the committee progresses in its efforts to improve the pharmaceutical industry's framework in Pakistan.

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