Why essential medicines are running short in Pakistan as pricing delays stall production

Pakistan is facing a severe shortage of more than 100 essential medicines, including several life-saving drugs used to treat cancer, heart disease and other serious illnesses, as prolonged delays in approving revised medicine prices disrupt production, according to a report by Dawn.

The report said the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap) had recommended revised prices for 105 medicines classified under the hardship category more than two years ago. However, the proposals are still awaiting approval from the federal cabinet, leading to reduced manufacturing and widespread shortages.

Production hit by rising costs

According to Dawn, Drap concluded that soaring production costs had made manufacturing many essential medicines commercially unviable.

The regulator cited rising prices of imported raw materials, electricity, fuel, packaging, transportation, labour and financing, along with the depreciation of the Pakistani rupee, as key factors driving up manufacturing costs.

Pharmaceutical companies have argued that the current pricing policy no longer allows them to recover production expenses, forcing several manufacturers to scale back production or stop supplying certain medicines altogether.

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Life-saving drugs in short supply

The shortages reportedly include a wide range of critical medicines such as oral morphine for cancer patients, streptokinase injections used to treat heart attacks, chemotherapy drugs including cisplatin, carboplatin and doxorubicin, paediatric digoxin, pilocarpine eye drops and yellow fever vaccines.

The lack of availability has affected patients requiring urgent and long-term treatment for serious illnesses.

Counterfeit medicine concerns grow

Abdul Samad Buddani of the Pakistan Chemists and Druggists Association warned that persistent shortages of genuine medicines are creating opportunities for counterfeit and substandard products to enter the market.

According to Dawn, he said patients are increasingly turning to unreliable sources to obtain essential medicines, raising concerns over the safety and authenticity of drugs, particularly costly cancer treatments and other life-saving medicines.

Industry urges immediate government action

Pharmaceutical industry representatives have called on the government to approve the pending hardship pricing cases without further delay.

A senior representative of the Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers' Association told Dawn that manufacturers cannot continue producing essential medicines if they are unable to recover even their basic production costs, warning that continued delays could deepen shortages and further strain the country's healthcare system.