SHC disapproves increase in drug price

Pricing panel has not approved hike in Rocephin price

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) rejected on Tuesday the plea filed by a private pharmaceutical company, Martin Dow, seeking an increase in the price of a life-saving drug, Rocephin.

A two-member bench, comprising Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Yousuf Ali Sayeed, declared that the drug manufacturing company could not be allowed to increase the price.

The plea was filed against the decision of the Drugs Appellate Board and had maintained that the drug pricing committee had not approved the increase in the price of Rocephin for long.

The company intended to increase the drug's price to Rs198 and had filed an application in this regard, maintaining that while the companies supplying raw materials for the drug had increased their rates but the drug committee had fixed the medicine's rate at Rs158, same as before. 

Published in The Express Tribune, April 22^nd, 2020.