The local pharmaceutical industry has warned that the availability ofmedicines beyond the next seven days period is not possible as the industryhas become completely unsustainable to manufacture medicines.
According to a letter from the pharmaceutical industry to the Ministry ofHealth Services, Regulation and Coordination and Drug Regulatory Authorityof Pakistan (DRAP), the local pharmaceutical industry is heavily dependenton the import of raw materials, in order to ensure uninterruptedavailability of medicines in the country.
The letter said the pharmaceutical industry suffered a devastating blow asprices of the active pharmaceutical ingredients i.e. raw materials used inthe manufacturing of drugs increased exponentially in the internationalmarket since the outbreak of Covic-19. Simultaneously, factors ofproduction like the cost of fuel, electricity, freight charges, and packingmaterial witnessed an unprecedented increase during the same period.
It said that in order to avert an imminent catastrophe, the pharmaceuticalindustry continuously and repeatedly requested and implored the federalgovernment and DRAP to take appropriate, concrete, and remedial measures byinter alia allowing inflationary adjustments in the maximum retail pricesof medicines, which if not addressed would result in the collapse of thelocal pharmaceutical industry.
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The industry pointed out that the federal government and the DRAP havefailed to take any measures whatsoever to protect the public and remedy theongoing situation, which has resulted in the collapse of the pharmaceuticalindustry as it is unable to ensure further production of safe, efficacious,and qualitative therapeutic goods at reasonable prices.
The letter said the situation has further aggravated as the Pakistani Rupeehas devalued by approximately 26 percent against the US Dollar since July2022. Most importantly, since the beginning of 2023, it has depreciated byapproximately Rs. 50 against the US Dollar.
