Senate body orders stent pricing policy

ISLAMABAD: Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services Regulations and Coordination Friday directed officials for devising a stent pricing policy within a month and submit a report to the committee. 

The committee meeting chaired by Senator Sajjad Turi here advised the patients to lodge complaint in case of any grievance regarding stent and asked the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) to take action on any such complaint. 

In a briefing to the committee on stent, CEO Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) Aslam Afghani said 55 types of stent were registered with the DRAP while the authority had recently registered 20 more stents. He said all companies had been given six months to two years time for improving the quality of the stent before registration with the authority. He said some cases of use of expired stents were also reported. 

Health Secretary Ayub Sheikh said efforts were being made to control prices of stent in the country and ensure to keep its prices even less than the prices of stent being sold in India and Bangladesh. He said no country in the world has any regulatory system for stent. He added the government is working on pricing policy of stent and making vibrant drug policy in order to have control on prices of medicines. 

Saira Tarar informed the committee that no allergy vaccine was being produced by private sector. She added NIH was working efficiently and satisfying the allergy patients. Committee member Senator Attique said the matter of price fixing of medicines was pending for the last four years. He said there was not a single allergy specialist at NIH. Senator Kalsoom said strict action should be taken against those who were involved in use of substandard stent.