ISLAMABAD, July 3: In a pricing meeting of the Drug Regulatory Agency of Pakistan (DRAP), members approved a 25 per cent price hike for drugs essential in the treatment of tuberculosis (TB), Dawn has learnt reliably.

“Prices of around 30 TB drugs registered with the DRAP have been increased during a pricing meeting of the agency,” said an official who is part of the national TB programme. The meeting last month was led by Faridullah Khan, the secretary Regulations and Services Division, and attendees included Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, the minister for the regulations division.

A local chemist in the city Afzal Hussain told Dawn that drugs for TB which were earlier available in the price range of Rs500 to Rs800 saw an added increase.

“Around 100 tablets of initial TB treatment drug on prescription were earlier sold at Rs593, but now for Rs791. Another drug that was being sold for Rs580 is now available for Rs780,” claimed the chemist.

“The increase in pricing will definitely have an impact on the poor patients,” observed Mr Hussain.

In fact, policymakers believe that this will only negatively impact the National Tuberculosis Programme of the federal government, which has been hit with funds shortage.

A National TB Control Programme official informed Dawn that currently the government was bearing the treatment costs of at least 420,000 registered TB patients across Pakistan.

“All the medicines are given free of cost at health centres through the National TB Control Programme over a six month period,” he added.

“During the treatment one patient costs the government over Rs4, 000 and with this spike the cost of purchasing the drugs for TB disease will definitely go up,” observed the official.

It is pertinent to mention that recently the prices of number of drugs were increased by the pharmaceutical companies on their own because of missing pricing regulation regime in the pharmaceutical industries.

The senior official of the regulations division regretfully noted that despite the establishment of the DRAP and the fact that the secretary regulations was briefed by drug officials that an increase in drugs prices impact the purchasing power of the poor patients, this was not given any consideration.

The official claimed: “Both national and multinational companies will largely benefit from the TB drug pricing increase.”

Despite multiple attempts, Secretary Regulations and Services Division, Faridullah Khan, who is also the chairman of the Policy Board of the DRAP, was not available to comment on the matter.

Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Regulations Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan when contacted by Dawn insisted: “All four provinces unanimously agreed to increase the price as the TB drug was short of supply. Four companies had reduced production because they were not getting profits from the drug sale.”

“The companies were demanding an increase of around 54 per cent and provinces agreed for a 35 per cent increase but we [DRAP] approved only a 25 per cent, which shows our resolve to maintain a balance in pricing of the drug,” claimed Ms Awan.

She added that licenses of pharmaceutical companies would be cancelled if they would not adhere to the pricing guidelines of the DRAP.

“It’s not a new story since the prices were increased last month,” the minister reprimanded quite sternly, and then added: “I don’t know why you are sticking to this price hike news and not writing anything about a price decrease which was approved by our committee.

“A number of abnormal drug pricing has been brought to normal for the benefit of the patients.”

Commenting over the decrease in prices she said that Interferon injection which was being sold at Rs13, 000 was now available in the market for Rs6, 000.