‘Hike in drugs prices endangers lives’

LAHORE

The Young Pharmacists Association (YPA) has condemned Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) for an illegal and inhuman 900 percent increase in prices of medicines, which jeopardised the lives of poor patients due to their inability to buy medicines.

“The third time increase in prices of medicines in one year took place during the ‘illegal tenure’ of incumbent Chief Executive Officer of DRAP, also an owner of two pharmaceutical companies, which in itself is a conflict of interest,” said Noor Muhammad Mehr, President, Pakistan Drug Lawyers Forum, while addressing a protest demonstration in front of the Lahore Press Club on Tuesday.

The YPA General Secretary Dr Haroon Yousaf, Joint Secretary Dr Hina Shaukat, Pakistan Pharmaceuticals Association Vice-President Dr Zaheer Afzal, Joint Secretary Tahir Ilyas, Advocate Hafiz Ahsan Naseer Aslam, former member Drug Court Mamoon Ashraf Kamboh, PTI Trade Secretary Tabassum Anwar and PTI Cantonment Lahore President Omer Fareed Bhatti led the pharmacists, lawyers, doctors, patients and members of general public in the protest against the illegal and anti-Pakistan increase in prices of medicines.

“After deceptive statements by DRAP CEO Aslam Afghani and Health Minister Saira Afzal Tarar before apex court, parliament and the nation regarding no price increase of medicines for nearly three years, the CEO has now confessed that DRAP and Federal Health Ministry have increased prices of 1,050 medicines,” the protesters informed. 

The participants alleged that DRAP CEO and Health Ministry had been increasing prices of medicines on fortnight basis as next price increase was expected on August 30, 2016. Recently, they informed, National Accountability Bureau had recovered Rs385 million from a medium sized pharma company. “NAB must recover entire looted amount through increase in prices of these 1,050 medicines from DRAP CEO and all officials concerned,” they demanded. 

The participants said the prices of medicines had been doubled within a year, which was a huge conspiracy against the people of Pakistan. They claimed that DRAP had no data to verify the prices of 80,000 registered medicines, alleged that DRAP CEO was owner of ‘killer company’, whose product caused death of 292 patients in Punjab Institute of Cardiology in 2012. They claimed the incumbent CEO was also convicted by Drug Court Peshawar in 2002. They alleged that the incumbent CEO was illegally appointed against section 28 of DRAP Act 2012. “They feared that the CEO would further increase prices of medicines until his tenure expired in January 2018.

They said that Chief Drug Inspector Punjab Dr Zaka-ur-Rehman, in his official letter early this year, wrote that Otsuka had illegally increased medicine prices, whereas DRAP and Federal Health Ministry denied Otsuka owned by the current DRAP CEO. They alleged that CEO managed the price increase of Otsuka Pharma’s medicine Pan Amin-SG from Rs343.20 to Rs555 by Drug Pricing Committee. Moreover, a few more examples of Otsuka and Efroze products’ prices are: the price of Inj. Amiovel (Otsuka) was raised from Rs375 to Rs555 (48% increase), N/S ampule 25ml (Otsuka) from Rs13 to Rs20 (54% increase), Aminoleban 500ml Injection (Otsuka) from Rs555 to Rs642 (16% increase), Aminoleban supplement (Otsuka) from Rs2,585 to Rs2,984 (15% increase), and Biofreeze spray (Efroze) from Rs650 to Rs1,050 (62% increase).

They informed that the export of medicines had been decreasing day by day, which had gone down from $220 million to $150 million, which is biggest failure of DRAP and Ministry of Health. They alleged that Health Minister Saira Afzal Tarar had promised with prime minister to close year 2015 at US$ 1 billion medicine exports, but in reality it had dramatically dropped to US$ 150 million. They urged the prime minister to ask the health minister about the deficit of US$ 850 million in exports of medicines. They informed that Standing Committee of Senate, in its recent meeting on 28th of July 2016, declared DRAP as most corrupt department of Pakistan. They alleged that a club of 50 pharmaceutical companies had bribed and high-ups for price increase, which resulted in drop of net output was exports and pharma industry had reached verge of collapse, due to negative policies of incumbent CEO.

The participants have urged Chief Justice of Pakistan, Prime Minister, President, Parliament, Chief of Army Staff, ISI and NAB to intervene and save lives of 200 million Pakistanis, and immediately hold inquiry and start criminal proceedings against DRAP CEO.

training: Punjab Skills Development Fund (PSDF) has awarded contracts of Rs 650 million to 38 industrial entities, who will impart demand-driven trainings to eligible individuals. 

In this regard a contract signing ceremony for Industrial Training Programme 2016, a new training scheme, was organised by PSDF at a local hotel. All the trainings will be funded by PSDF.

Under the training scheme, 12,000 individuals will be trained by the selected industry partners. These individuals will learn employable skills in 84 unique trades. Many of the selected organisations will also work with PSDF for securing employment for PSDF-funded trainees after completion of training.

PSDF CEO Jawad Khan said the PSDF has successfully funded training of more than 151,000 individuals since its inception. The new scheme is a unique scheme under which the PSDF has partnered with industry to impart technical and vocational skills that are demanded by the job market. He expressed his gratitude for the Punjab government and the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) for patronising the promotion of quality skills development in the province. He said the fund is rigorously pursuing to enhance the role of local industry in the development of relevant skilled manpower for the country.

PSDF aims to provide skills and vocational training opportunities to the poor and vulnerable populations of the 36 districts of the Punjab for improving their ability to find work or progress in their current employment or develop enterprise. It also aims to up-skill those in low-skills-low-returns jobs and enhances their earning potential.