Stakeholders of Pakistan’s pharmaceutical sector have agreed that the country remains far behind in manufacturing of vaccines because not a single molecule has been produced by Pakistan’s pharmaceutical industry in the last two years.
This consensus was made in a webinar organised by the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) to discuss issues impeding the growth of the pharmaceutical sector, persistent shortage of life-saving drugs and government policies.
According to the speakers, the main cause behind the problem was sluggish policy approvals, which are granted by the federal cabinet.
Keeping this in view, they stressed upon the government to introduce a proper regulatory framework for the pharmaceutical industry.
Ferozsons Laboratories Ltd Chief Executive Officer Osman Waheed pointed out several problems associated with the pharmaceutical industry of Pakistan including shortage of technical expertise, lack of research and development, political pressure and public pressure.
PIDE fellow Shahid Mehmood raised concern over the growing incidence of sub-standard medicine manufacturing while also mentioning hidden utilisation of corona relief fund.
Endorsing his views, GlaxoSmithKline Pakistan Chief Executive Officer Salman Burney added that the number of pharmaceutical companies was increasing in the country, however, quality of production was on decline.
Continuing on, he added that compliance with Current Good Manufacturing Practices (CGMP) standards was also not being considered.
“There is no focus on quality of production or compliance with CGMP standards,” he said. “Now, clinical trials have also stopped owing to slow approvals,” he said.
According to him, the rationale for price control in the industry was flawed.
He added that any attempt to control the price depended on the threshold availability.
Pharmaceutical Bureau Executive Director Ayesha Tammy Haq highlighted that Pakistan had an inconsistent policy framework.
She directed the government’s focus on accessibility to medicines because flu season was just around the corner and the industry was expecting a scarcity of medicines.
“There has to be an agenda and timelines for the pharmaceutical sector,” she said.
Lamenting absence of a permanent CEO for the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan, she cited it as the prime reason behind lack of proper decision-making for the pharmaceutical sector.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 18th, 2020.
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After 73 years of independence we are still chained with different rules and regulations to do business. Look like in 1947 only parliament got real independence, public is still enslaved.