Health ministry rejects DRAP's summary to increase medicine prices

ISLAMABAD: The health ministry on Tuesday rejected the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan’s (DRAP) summary to increase the prices of medicines, ARY News reported.

According to the spokesperson for the health ministry, the DRAP forwarded a summary, seeking an increase in the prices of more than 40 medicines.

The Summary was rejected by Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel. The government is committed to providing relief to the masses.

Earlier, Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) okayed hiking the price of paracetamol used to treat fever, fixing the rate up to Rs2.67 per tablet.

The Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Association (PPMA) chairman said in a statement that DRAP showed agreement to fix the price of paracetamol, used to treat headaches, body aches and fever, at Rs2.67 per tablet.

The officials confirmed that DRAP will forward a summary to the federal cabinet for increasing the price of paracetamol. The pharmaceutical companies had demanded DRAP to fix the per tablet price of paracetamol at Rs3.5.