Essential medicines available but supply chain disruptions causing pockets of shortages: Drap

ISLAMABAD: The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap) on Thursday said different types of essential medicines are available in the country, however, sporadic ‘pockets of shortages’ are observed due to supply chain disruptions, logistics and supply/demand factor.

“Drap’s Committee for Availability of Life-Saving Drugs (CALSD) has reported that essential medicines including different types of inhalers and insulin are available with the pharmaceutical companies and in the market. Drap continues to work closely with manufacturers and importers to mitigate and prevent shortages,” Asim Rauf, Drap’s Chief Executive Officer, told The News. 

Commenting on the non-availability of some essential medicines in different parts of the country, Asim Rauf said CALSD continuously monitors the supply chain of essential medicines and engages manufacturers and importers for a regular and adequate supply of medicines in the market.

“Actually, post Covid pandemic supply chain disruptions and global business decisions regarding acquisition, mergers, etc. are adversely affecting the availability of drugs in Pakistan. But through a proactive approach and use of all tools, including regulatory flexibilities, Drap aims to shorten the duration of the shortage and ultimately prevent it, while adhering to the sacred responsibility of ensuring safe, efficacious, quality and affordable therapeutic goods to the people of Pakistan,” Asim Rauf added.

He maintained that shortage of drugs is a dynamic process that involves global supply chain disruption, quality defects, cost escalation, regulatory actions, discontinuation, quota allocation and added that CALSD conducts periodic surveys to ensure that essential medicines or products are always available in the market.

“Various regulatory tools are being adopted to monitor or mitigate the drug shortages including establishment of toll-free helpline, online issuance of NOCs for import of personal use medicines and provision of import by public/private hospitals for those medicines which are not registered or available in the market,” he said, adding that Drap has also proposed various strategies for ensuring the availability of life-saving drugs in the market.

Sharing the current stock position of various types of inhalers and insulin in the country, he said some leading pharmaceutical companies have even advertised their helpline numbers for the convenience of patients and advised patients to approach directly to the companies for acquiring the required drugs, if they are not available at pharmacies.