Drap dismisses reports of essential medicine price hikes amid global supply chain uncertainty

The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap) on Sunday dismissed reports of price hikes in essential medicines across the country, stating that the rates have not “undergone any upward revision”.

The statement comes as stakeholders in recent news reports alleged that an unprecedented increase in medicine prices had been observed since February 2024.

Pakistan Drug Lawyers Forum President Noor Muhammad Mehr, a day earlier, told Dawn that the price of the insulin delivery device HumaPen Ergo II had increased by 114 per cent

The Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PPMA), however, claimed that the prices of essential medicines had remained unchanged despite a more than 20 per cent rise in fuel prices.

In its statement, Drap said that it “strongly refutes the factually incorrect news reports circulating on various media channels regarding the recent increase in prices of medicines”.

The regulatory body stated that medicine supply in Pakistan remained “unaffected” by the conflict in the Middle East and subsequent sea route disruptions, as 85pc of medicines consumed in the country were “manufactured locally”.

It added that Drap had also advised manufacturers to engage in contingency planning, directing firms to adopt multiple sourcing strategies through geographically diverse channels to strengthen supply chain resilience amid uncertainty caused by the US-Iran war. The purpose of these measures, it said, was to ensure that “temporary cargo disruptions (if any) do not evolve into future shortages”.

The authority said it had conducted a comprehensive review of the supply chain of medicines and medical devices and “found it satisfactory for [the] coming months”.

According to Drap, the “price mentioned in recent news reports [refers] to the Maximum Retail Prices (MRPs) already printed on medicine packs and insulin administering device [..] manufactured in 2024 or 2025 and wrongly portrayed as a recent price hike”.

Drap reiterated that “no new price increase has been approved for essential medicines in recent months”.

“Pharmaceutical manufacturers are strictly prohibited from implementing unilateral price hikes for any product listed on the National Essential Medicines List (NEML),” it explained, adding that it is “proactively” monitoring drug availability.

The authority urged the media to “verify information with the authority before publication” to avoid “unnecessary panic or anxiety”.