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| Life-saving, essential drugs unavailable in markets |
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Monday, June 30, 2008
By Amer Malik
LAHORE: Various lifesaving and essential drugs have disappeared from markets since the beginning of 2008 adding to the woes of patients.
According to a survey conducted by The News, lifesaving drugs including Aldomet, Thyroxine, Angised as well as Ventolin solution/inhaler and various other essential drugs have gone missing from shelves in the open market and their unavailability has made people’s lives miserable.
These essential drugs are found missing from Lohari Wholesale Medicine Market, Lohari Gate, as well as at medical stores and pharmacy chain outlets in various parts of the provincial metropolis.
Ventolin tablets, solutions and inhalers, which cost around Rs 80 to 100, are not available in sufficient quantity for the last two months and frequent complaints about unavailability of these and other essential drugs is a routine matter now.
Tab Aldomet (generic name Methyldopa manufactured by multinational pharmaceutical company MSD and distributed through Muller and Phipps) was available in 250 mg and 500 mg potencies and was quite affordable. The price of 10-tablet 250 mg strip was Rs 35.
Shahrukh Iqbal, an asthma patient, said unavailability of Ventolin and other life-saving drugs spoke volumes of the apathy of the agencies responsible and the callousness of the “profit-hungry” drug manufacturers.
Pakistan Medical Society (PMS) Chairman Dr Masood Akhtar Sheikh said that the manufacturing companies and the distributors had created an artificial shortage of drugs to earn more profits as these medicines were extremely cost effective. He said that Tab Thyroxine, which cost Rs 10 to 20 per 100 tablets, was extremely effective in Hypothyroidism, a thyroid gland complication.
He said that Angised, another lifesaving drug, provided quick relief from angina pain, which was a minor form of heart attack. He said Ventolin solution, nabulizing medicine for acute form of asthma, was another essential drug available at cheap rates. These drugs were now missing from markets.
Pakistan Academy of Family Physicians (PAFP) Vice President Dr Arshad Humayun said that Aldomet medicine was best suited for treating high blood pressure, especially among pregnant women because it had minimum side effects. He said that Ventolin was also considered a lifesaver, adding that the importance of this drug had risen with the approaching winter as this medicine was given to asthma patients and could save lives in some cases.
A representative of Lohari Wholesale Medicine Market said that lifesaving drugs, including tablets Aldomet, Thyroxine, Angised as well as Ventolin solution/inhaler had vanished from markets as multinational manufacturing companies had not been supplying these essential drugs for the last two to three months.
“The local pharmaceutical companies either do not manufacture these medicines and medical supplies or produced these in small quantities, which could not meet the demand,” he said. Pakistan Chemists and Retailers Association (PCRA) Chairman Ishaq Mayo said that lifesaving drugs including Aldomet, Thyroxine, Angised as well as Ventolin solution/inhaler had disappeared from the markets all over the country particularly in the Punjab for the last three months. The PCRA representatives in every district had complained about the unavailability of the medicine, he added.
He alleged that manufacturing companies and the distributors had created an artificial shortage of the drug to earn more profits, while adding that smuggling of medicines to Afghanistan and other countries was another reason for the shortage of the medicines in markets.
As per Drugs Act 1976, he said if a pharmaceutical company did not manufacture a quality product in sufficient quantity to meet the requirements of the people, then the registration of the drug could be cancelled and those responsible for this situation could be prosecuted under the law. “Multinational and national pharmaceutical manufacturers are bound to produce sufficient quantity of medicines to ensure regular and adequate supply in the market,” he said.
When contacted, Punjab Quality Control Board Secretary Chaudhry Saeed Anwar admitted that various lifesaving drugs were missing from markets. He said these drugs were in short supply. “The companies prefer to produce products that earn more profit,” he said. It was unfortunate that some people hoarded such medicines which resulted in their unavailability, he said.
“We regularly conduct surveys,” he said adding that reports on unavailability of lifesaving drugs were sent to the federal government from all the provinces. He said it was the responsibility of the federal government to ensure availability of drugs as companies at the time of registration were asked to ensure abundant supply of medicines in the market.
He said there were substitutes for some medicines but it was unfortunate that doctors did not prescribe these to patients. He said stern action was taken against those involved in hoarding life saving drugs.
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ISSN 1563-9479 
