ISLAMABAD: The prime minister has constituted a committee to look into the demand of the pharmaceutical companies for hike in medicine prices, ARY News reported on Wednesday.
Pharmaceutical firms are demanding 40 percent hike in medicine prices, official sources said.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has constituted a committee headed by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar to consider over the demand of the medicine industry and a notification has been issued to this effect.
Federal Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel, Ayaz Sadiq and other top government officials will be members of the committee.
The committee will look into the demand of price hike from the industry and decide the matter, the notification read. “The committee will also revisit the Drug Pricing Policy 2018,” as per the notification.
The Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PPMA) had demanded of the government in June this year to increase medicine prices by 25%.
The PPMA had given an ultimatum to the government to notify the hike in prices by June 30 while warninge a shortage of medicines in the country.
President PPMA said that the sky-high rate of inflation has thrown the Pharma industry into quantdry. The medicine production cost has increased multiple times, he added.
