LAHORE: The Pharma Bureau has urged the government to review new drug pricing policy 2015 proposed by the Policy Board of the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP), which has proposed 30 per cent cut on the life-saving and other drugs.
The Pharma Bureau, which is research-based multinational pharmaceutical companies, urged Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and State Minister Saira Afzal Tarar to avert a potential drug crisis by formulating a committee to review the draft drug pricing policy.
Bureau Chairman Shahab Rizvi said the policy did not reflect the numerous discussions held between the industry and the government over the past eight years. Pharma Bureau Co-chairman Arshad Saeed Khan was also present on the occasion. He said the Bureau had already conveyed serious reservations on this draft to the government.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Young Pharmacists Association welcomed the DRAP’s decision saying that it would help improve health status of the patients.
