Pakistan orders overhaul of drug pricing formula to protect affordable medicines

The Pakistani government, led by Economic Affairs Minister Ahad Cheema, ordered a comprehensive review of the existing drug-pricing formula to guarantee medicines remain affordable without creating undue obstacles for importers or manufacturers. During a Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan meeting, Cheema praised progress on pending pricing cases and asked officials to expedite their resolution. He proposed that the agency adopt specialized international price databases to improve independent assessments and use foreign price comparisons as benchmarks, while maintaining checks and balances.

Health Secretary Momin Agha reported sufficient market availability of the WHO-recommended trivalent influenza vaccine, which had been withdrawn from a hardship case because its price is internationally regulated. The Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association urged the government to involve the industry in the formula revision, warning that frozen prices amid rising input costs could force manufacturers to halt production and cause shortages.