- The pharmaceutical companies have made desired increase in prices of the drugs.
- Karachi witnessed unannounced up to 50 per cent increase in drug prices.
- Multiple pharmaceutical companies have stopped supply of various drugs.
KARACHI: Several medicines, including one of the most used medicines in Pakistan, paracetamol, are being sold in black, as medicine shortage crisis deepens, Bol News reported.
The pharmaceutical companies have made desired increase in prices of the drugs. Karachi witnessed unannounced up to 50 per cent increase in drug prices. Multiple pharmaceutical companies have stopped supply of various drugs.
A high number of malaria and dengue cases are being reported in Sindh, however, medicines for their treatment are unavailable in the province.
Medicines of blood pressure, diabetes, headache and hypertension are scarce, hence expensive in the market. Paracetamol and aspirin are being sold for Rs30-40 each tablet. The tranquilisers Alp and Xenix have disappeared from the market. Prices of blood pressure drugs Ascard and Sofix have doubled.
Prices of diabetes tablets Glucophage, Amral and Investa Plus have jacked up by 30 per cent. Acidity medicine Omiprazol is being sold for Rs300 from Rs170.
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Prices of inhalers used for asthma have shot up by 40 per cent. Drugs of chemotherapy are being sold on double prices in the market.
Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre pharmacist Fawad Hasan said drug companies were manufacturing the medicines in small quantity and suppliers were selling them on double prices at pharmacies. The malaria drugs were not available even in black in the market, he maintained.
“Raw material of the medicines is imported from China or India,” said President Wholesale Chemist Pakistan Atif Blu. He said prices of the raw material were paid in dollars and since dollar has largely strengthened against Pakistani rupee so they were forced to sell medicines on high prices.
The president said announcement for increase in the drug prices would be made after the federal government’s approval. He said the federal government’s not jacking up the medicine prices was creating a crisis.
