Pharmaceutical Industry Warned The Alarming Situation In Next Seven Days ,

medicines prices

ISLAMABAD: The local pharmaceutical industry is no longer able to sustain itself in the manufacturing of medicines, As it has issued a warning that no medicines will be available beyond the next seven days.

A letter sent by the pharmaceutical industry to the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) and the Ministry of Health Services, Regulation and Coordination reveals that the local pharmaceutical industry is heavily reliant on the import of raw materials to guarantee that medicines will always be available in Pakistan.

According to the letter, the pharmaceutical industry suffered a devastating blow as a result of the exponential increase in prices of active pharmaceutical ingredients—raw materials used in drug manufacturing—on the international market since the outbreak of Covic-19. During the same time, production costs like fuel, electricity, freight costs, and packing materials experienced an unprecedented increase.

It stated that the pharmaceutical industry repeatedly pleaded with the federal government and DRAP to take appropriate, concrete, and remedial measures, including allowing inflationary adjustments to the maximum retail prices of medicines, which would lead to the collapse of the local pharmaceutical industry if not addressed, in order to avert an imminent catastrophe.

The industry said that the DRAP and the federal government have done nothing to protect the public or fix the situation, which has led to the pharmaceutical industry’s demise because it can’t guarantee that safe, effective, and high-quality therapeutic goods will continue to be produced at reasonable prices.

According to the letter, the Pakistani rupee’s depreciation of approximately 26% against the US dollar since July 2022 has made the situation even worse. Most importantly, it has depreciated by approximately Rs. since the beginning of 2023. 50 versus the dollar.

In addition, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased by 27.6% in January in comparison to the same time last year.

According to the industry, a force majeure has been triggered in relation to the pharmaceutical industry’s obligations to ensure uninterrupted availability of medicines in the local market, which has now become impossible as a result of the aforementioned situation. This is due to the complete apathy of the federal government and the DRAP in failing to take any remedial steps.

The pharmaceutical industry added that it is now completely unsustainable to manufacture medicines and guarantee their availability beyond the next seven days due to the foregoing and constraints imposed by circumstances beyond its control.

 

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