Medicine shortage in Pakistan: 100+ life-saving drugs missing, price files stuck 2 years

More than 100 life-saving medicines are missing from Pakistani pharmacies, and drug makers say the true number is higher. The Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers' Association (PPMA) told Business Recorder on 28 September that price-increase applications for these drugs have been stuck for over two years, even though the Drug Pricing Policy 2018 says hardship cases should be decided within 60 to 90 days.

Which medicines are short

The drugs are "hardship" cases: cheap, old medicines whose fixed retail price is now below the cost of making them. When Dawn reported the shortage in July, industry named these among the 105 unavailable or critically short:

Business Recorder's report adds that drugs for cancer, hypertension and diabetes have been dropping out of production "one by one" over two years.

Why the shelves are empty

DRAP's pricing committee accepted that the cost of imported raw materials, energy, packaging, transport, labour, financing and the weaker rupee had made these products unviable. It recommended new prices and sent them to the federal cabinet in February 2024. DRAP's position is that the final decision rests with the cabinet, and no decision has come.

Former PPMA chairman Tauqeer Ul Haq says many makers stopped applying because earlier requests went nowhere, so the official count understates the problem. Senior vice chairman Kamran Nasir says manufacturers need a margin of about 10 to 15 percent and that DRAP, not the cabinet, should have the final say on prices.

What changed this week

In recent meetings with federal ministers Mustafa Kamal and Ahsan Iqbal and adviser Haroon Akhtar, officials agreed to take the question of giving DRAP final authority over hardship prices to the prime minister. Nothing has been notified yet, so prices and supply stay where they are for now.

What patients can do now

• Ask about a registered alternative. Your doctor or pharmacist can tell you whether another registered brand or medicine is safe for you. Do not substitute cancer or heart medicines on your own.
• Ask the hospital where you are treated. If you get chemotherapy or cardiac care at a hospital, ask its pharmacy before searching retail shops.
• Be wary of "imported" stock at high prices. Industry has warned that long shortages let counterfeiters fill the gap, especially for expensive cancer drugs. Buy only from licensed pharmacies and keep the receipt.
• Check the pack. From 19 October DRAP requires barcodes on medicine packs, and our medicine recall alerts list batches DRAP has stopped.
• Travelling abroad? If your destination needs a yellow fever certificate, check availability at the vaccination centre well before your flight, and see our note on WHO polio travel rules for Pakistan.