Islamabad (Zahid Yaqoob Khawaja): The government\u2019s decision to deregulate prices of non-essential medicines has helped restore the availability of critical drugs across Pakistan, ending months of shortages that had severely impacted public health, experts and industry officials said on Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe policy shift has addressed critical supply gaps. Medicines that had vanished due to unviable prices are now back, offering relief to patients who were left at the mercy of black markets or counterfeits,\u201d said Tauqeer-ul-Haq, Chairman of the Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PPMA), while speaking to reporters in Karachi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For years, pharmaceutical firms were unable to produce dozens of drugs\u2014ranging from painkillers to psychiatric treatments\u2014because of outdated price controls. \u201cWhen a tablet priced at Rs3 can\u2019t be produced at cost, it disappears. Deregulation allowed us to price it at Rs6 and bring it back to patients,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Haq explained. \u201cThe most expensive medicine is the one that isn\u2019t available.\u201d
Under the new framework, pharmaceutical companies can adjust prices of non-essential medicines in line with inflation and production costs. However, essential and life-saving drugs\u2014more than 460 in number\u2014remain under strict price regulation. This hybrid model mirrors international best practices, allowing market forces to stabilize supply while keeping vital medicines affordable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the PPMA chairman, the impact has been swift. Local manufacturers have resumed production, and multinational firms are reconsidering their plans to exit the market. \u201cThe intent is not to increase prices indiscriminately, but to ensure sustainable production and eliminate dangerous alternatives,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The resolution of long-pending hardship cases, some delayed for over three years, has also contributed to the supply revival. With bureaucratic hurdles removed, medicines like insulin, antibiotics, and cardiac treatments are once again accessible to patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Industry data supports these developments. IQVIA reports that Pakistan\u2019s pharmaceutical market crossed the Rs1.049 trillion mark by March 2025, reflecting 20.62 percent growth in rupee value. While the surge is largely attributed to price adjustments and the reintroduction of long-unavailable drugs, experts estimate that actual organic growth\u2014excluding one-time recoveries\u2014stands at 15 to 16 percent, indicating market stabilization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Beyond restoring availability, the policy shift is expected to attract investment in local Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) manufacturing, reducing Pakistan\u2019s 90 percent reliance on imports. Public-private partnerships, including ventures under CPEC, are being explored to build domestic resilience and reduce exposure to global supply shocks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The industry also foresees job creation, particularly for young pharmacists, technicians, and quality assurance professionals. Improved pricing structures are expected to support infrastructure upgrades and pave the way for international certifications\u2014potentially boosting Pakistan\u2019s $700 million pharma exports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While concerns over rising prices remain, experts and industry leaders argue that the broader gains\u2014improved availability, reduced counterfeit risk, and production sustainability\u2014far outweigh the short-term impact. \u201cThis isn\u2019t just about business,\u201d Haq emphasized. \u201cIt\u2019s a public health imperative.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Clinical pharmacists and pharmacologists also noted that deregulation has helped restore the supply of previously unavailable medicines, with patients finally gaining access to treatments that had vanished due to price constraints. They added that shortages have eased noticeably in recent months, and the availability of genuine medicines has reduced reliance on unsafe\u00a0alternatives.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Islamabad (Zahid Yaqoob Khawaja): The government\u2019s decision to deregulate prices of non-essential medicines has helped restore the availability of critical drugs across Pakistan, ending months of shortages that had severely impacted public health, experts and industry officials said on Monday. \u201cThe policy shift has addressed critical supply gaps. Medicines that had vanished due to unviable<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6533,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33,36,31],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-6529","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business","8":"category-health","9":"category-national"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/capitalnewspk.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6529","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/capitalnewspk.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/capitalnewspk.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capitalnewspk.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capitalnewspk.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6529"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/capitalnewspk.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6529\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6534,"href":"https:\/\/capitalnewspk.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6529\/revisions\/6534"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capitalnewspk.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6533"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/capitalnewspk.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6529"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capitalnewspk.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6529"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capitalnewspk.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6529"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}