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Life-Saving Drugs Vanish: Pakistan's Medicine Crisis Deepens
12 Mar
Summary
- Essential medicines, including cancer therapies, are unavailable or scarce.
- Price fixation delays by the government are cited as the primary cause.
- Counterfeit drugs may replace unavailable life-saving treatments.
Patients and their families in Pakistan are facing significant difficulties in obtaining essential medicines, with critical treatments for cancer, vaccines, and other life-saving drugs experiencing severe shortages. Healthcare professionals, medicine traders, and industry sources indicate that these shortages are not due to regional conflicts but stem from the country's policy-making processes, particularly concerning price fixation.
Industry insiders point to delays by the federal government in officially notifying the prices of new medicines, despite recommendations from the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap). This bureaucratic hurdle prevents companies from legally importing and supplying these crucial treatments, even when they are internationally approved and urgently needed. The situation is exacerbated as pharmaceutical manufacturers are reluctant to supply medicines with unapproved prices, fearing regulatory scrutiny and potential financial losses.
This unavailability of regulated medicines is concerning for patients relying on treatments like nivolumab, pembrolizumab, nilotinib hydrochloride for cancer, tacrolimus for transplant patients, and various vaccines. The void left by legitimate medicines is a breeding ground for counterfeit and substandard products, posing serious risks to public health. Experts warn that this trend encourages the circulation of falsified medicines, endangering lives in Pakistan.
