A cabinet committee chaired by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has approved the prices of 52 newly registered life-saving medicines, moving them a step closer to becoming available in Pakistan once the federal cabinet grants final approval.
The decision was taken at the eighth meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Drug Pricing, which was constituted by the prime minister to review recommendations from the Drug Pricing Committee and the Policy Board of the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP), the country’s medicines regulator.
Officials said that the committee approved the prices of all 52 medicines recommended by the two bodies.
The recommendations will now be submitted to the federal cabinet. After cabinet approval, DRAP will notify maximum retail prices, allowing the medicines to be legally marketed in Pakistan.
The newly approved medicines include cancer therapies, insulin, vaccines and treatments for several other serious illnesses. Among them is Pembrolizumab, an immunotherapy medicine used to treat more than 20 types of cancer, including lung, breast, cervical, kidney, bladder, stomach and skin cancers.
During the meeting, the Ministry of National Health Services argued that prices should be approved without further delay, saying patients had been unable to access dozens of newly registered medicines because they could not be legally sold until official prices were notified.
The ministry said the delays had forced many patients to rely on smuggled, unregistered or personally imported medicines.
DRAP also briefed the committee on new drug price fixation cases, hardship applications, pricing matters and the availability of essential medicines, while presenting proposals requiring the committee’s approval.
Finance Minister Aurangzeb said that drug pricing decisions should remain transparent, evidence-based and consultative while serving the broader public interest. He said that the government must balance access to essential medicines, a sustainable pharmaceutical supply chain and affordability, while ensuring the rationale behind decisions is clearly communicated to the public.
Health officials stated that the approvals would improve access to quality-assured medicines through licensed pharmacies and reduce dependence on informal supply channels.
