Shortage of essential drugs adds to patients woes

ISLAMABAD: At least 30 essential drugs have vanished from community and hospital pharmacies across the country, causing severe problem for patients struggling with chronic illnesses.

The out-of-stock medications include various types of insulin, inhalers and treatments for neurological, psychiatric, cardiovascular and infectious diseases, said healthcare professionals and officials on Wednesday, raising concerns about the well-being of patients.

They said that most of the drugs currently unavailable in the market were either registered products of multinational pharmaceutical companies or produced locally and imported. “Provincial drug inspectors in Karachi reported unavailability of at least 30 essential and life-saving drugs at pharmacies,” Syed Adnan Rizvi, Secretary of Sindh Quality Control Board, told The News.

In a letter to all the provincial drug inspectors in Sindh, Rizvi advised them to conduct a survey of pharmacies to ascertain the unavailability of essential medicines so that appropriate measures could be adopted to ensure provision of medicines to patients.

Citing the difficulties of diabetic patients, he said that diabetic patients were facing problems in getting insulin, as various types of insulin were not available in Karachi and other cities of Sindh.

Similarly, those suffering from neurological and psychiatric disorders are also having trouble in acquiring essential medicines, he added.

Unavailability of genuine medicines could lead to the production of counterfeit drugs, he feared and added, “We have also directed our inspectors to keep an eye on counterfeit and substandard drugs.”

In addition, healthcare professionals and emergency medicine specialists reported a dire shortage of inhalers for asthma patients, saying adult and pediatric patients were suffering due to the unavailability of salbutamol inhalers across Pakistan.

Industry sources attributed inhaler shortages to several factors, including increased demand following the Covid-19 pandemic, supply chain disruptions, export restrictions by some countries, increased use and stockpiling as well as regulatory challenges.

Some leading psychiatrists and neurologists also reported the unavailability and shortage of several essential drugs, including including chlorpromazine and a leading brand of lithium carbonate tablets to treat schizophrenia, mania, depression, and other mood disorders. They said psychiatric patients were forced to use ineffective drugs due to the absence of quality medicines.

Endocrinologists and medical specialists also reported the unavailability of a leading brand of metformin, which is used to manage and control diabetes, and several other medications used to treat hypertension, angina, anxiety, as well as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) etc.

A senior official in a leading pharmaceutical company claimed that the price difference due to rupee devaluation against the dollar was the main reason behind the unavailability of some insulin products, as their landing cost was much higher than the maximum retail price allowed by the authorities in Pakistan.

In addition to rupee devaluation, global supply chain issues are hampering the import of medicines and their local production in Pakistan, the official added.

However, an official of the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) refuted the reports of extreme shortage of drugs and essential medicines in Pakistan and termed the unavailability of some of the medicines a supply-chain issue.

“We are doing periodic surveys to ensure that essential medicines or products are always available in the market. Similarly, we are approving new registrations and urging local as well as multinational companies to come forward and manufacture drugs to break the monopoly of some companies in the Pakistani market,” the official added.