Short on cure: Life-saving drugs out of market
As essential medicines suddenly disappear, officials offer different explanations.
ISLAMABAD:
Several life-saving drugs have disappeared from medical stories of the twin cities. While officials offer different explanations for the situation, many claim that smuggling to earn more profit is one of the main causes.
Owners of various medical stores claimed that there was a shortage of about 275 different medicines.
A majority of these medicines, according to a list obtained by The Express Tribune, are life-saving drugs manufactured by multinational companies.
“The prices of these medicines were too low, with little profit margin. That is why multinational companies stopped manufacturing them,” said an owner of a well-known medical store, who wished to not be named.
Riaz Hussain, Chairman Pharma Bureau, which represents multinational pharmaceutical companies, while denying the allegations said that there was no shortage of medicines in the market as all the companies were manufacturing all the medicines they were supposed to.
“This is a self-created shortage by the people associated with the sale and purchase of medicines,” he said.
Hussain said all companies regularly send details of the medicines manufactured by them to the Ministry
of Health.
“The medicines are provided to wholesalers or medical stores as per requirement, but from there unscrupulous parties purchase and smuggle them to earn huge profit,”
he added.
According to Hussain, these medicines are being smuggled to African countries, Bangladesh, Maldives, etc where their prices are much higher than in Pakistan.
Lack of adequate monitoring of courier services at exit points like airports and railway stations results in their transport across the border.
Moreover, Dr Anwar Rafay, a health expert working with Government of Punjab, said, “A huge proportion of Pakistan’s pharma economy is based on smuggling.”
Talking to The Express Tribune, he said this activity results in shortage in the local market. “Ultimately the general public suffers,” he said.
“In order to overcome the smuggling of medicines in the country there is a dire need to establish a strong regulatory body,” he said.
Dr Rafay was of the view that mere appointment of drug inspectors was not going to address the problem.
“The purchase of the medicines for smuggling is being done openly in well-known wholesales markets of big cities,” Hussian added.
“The business is in full boom in the markets just adjacent to the Mayo Hospital, Lahore, Marriot Road Karachi, near Bara Market, Rawalpindi among others,” he said.
Mohammad Asad, Vice Chairman Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PPMA), said, “Local companies are manufacturing medicines that are short in the market. Usually these medicines are produced by the multinational companies.”
“There is no shortage of medicines in the market. All of them are available with only a difference in formula,” he said.
Similarly, Shakeel Mehmood a customer at a medical store in Rawalpindi said he suffered a lot due to the shortage and unavailability of basic life-saving drugs.
“Sometimes just to get a simple medicine we have to take a round of the whole city and visit each and every medical store,” he said.
“It is the right of every citizen to have access to such medicines. The government should ensure their provision at every medical store,” he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 26th, 2011.
Several life-saving drugs have disappeared from medical stories of the twin cities. While officials offer different explanations for the situation, many claim that smuggling to earn more profit is one of the main causes.
Owners of various medical stores claimed that there was a shortage of about 275 different medicines.
A majority of these medicines, according to a list obtained by The Express Tribune, are life-saving drugs manufactured by multinational companies.
“The prices of these medicines were too low, with little profit margin. That is why multinational companies stopped manufacturing them,” said an owner of a well-known medical store, who wished to not be named.
Riaz Hussain, Chairman Pharma Bureau, which represents multinational pharmaceutical companies, while denying the allegations said that there was no shortage of medicines in the market as all the companies were manufacturing all the medicines they were supposed to.
“This is a self-created shortage by the people associated with the sale and purchase of medicines,” he said.
Hussain said all companies regularly send details of the medicines manufactured by them to the Ministry
of Health.
“The medicines are provided to wholesalers or medical stores as per requirement, but from there unscrupulous parties purchase and smuggle them to earn huge profit,”
he added.
According to Hussain, these medicines are being smuggled to African countries, Bangladesh, Maldives, etc where their prices are much higher than in Pakistan.
Lack of adequate monitoring of courier services at exit points like airports and railway stations results in their transport across the border.
Moreover, Dr Anwar Rafay, a health expert working with Government of Punjab, said, “A huge proportion of Pakistan’s pharma economy is based on smuggling.”
Talking to The Express Tribune, he said this activity results in shortage in the local market. “Ultimately the general public suffers,” he said.
“In order to overcome the smuggling of medicines in the country there is a dire need to establish a strong regulatory body,” he said.
Dr Rafay was of the view that mere appointment of drug inspectors was not going to address the problem.
“The purchase of the medicines for smuggling is being done openly in well-known wholesales markets of big cities,” Hussian added.
“The business is in full boom in the markets just adjacent to the Mayo Hospital, Lahore, Marriot Road Karachi, near Bara Market, Rawalpindi among others,” he said.
Mohammad Asad, Vice Chairman Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PPMA), said, “Local companies are manufacturing medicines that are short in the market. Usually these medicines are produced by the multinational companies.”
“There is no shortage of medicines in the market. All of them are available with only a difference in formula,” he said.
Similarly, Shakeel Mehmood a customer at a medical store in Rawalpindi said he suffered a lot due to the shortage and unavailability of basic life-saving drugs.
“Sometimes just to get a simple medicine we have to take a round of the whole city and visit each and every medical store,” he said.
“It is the right of every citizen to have access to such medicines. The government should ensure their provision at every medical store,” he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 26th, 2011.