Federal Minister for Health Mustafa Kamal said the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has been fully digitalized. He said the move is meant to increase openness, simplify regulatory steps and support the pharmaceutical industry. He spoke while addressing industrialists during a visit to the Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI) in Karachi.
Kamal said more than 86,000 medicines made by drug companies have been registered under the Track and Trace System. Consumers can scan medicine packs with their mobile phones to check whether a product is genuine. He added that drugmakers can also register their medicines and other products through the online system.
Health minister weighs medicine price controls
Kamal said medicine pricing involves two major concerns. Raising prices would place an extra financial strain on ordinary citizens, while keeping them unchanged could lead to shortages, especially of medicines for serious illnesses.
He said such shortages have at times pushed patients to buy essential drugs on the black market, at prices up to three times their actual rates. He suggested that the government reconsider its direct role in setting medicine prices and let market forces decide, as it does for other commodities.
KATI president urges monthly ministerial visits to Karachi
KATI President Sheikh Umer Rehan proposed that all federal ministers visit Karachi at least once a month, following the example of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) chairman. The aim would be to engage with stakeholders and address sector-specific concerns.
Rehan said Pakistan’s production costs are among the highest in the region. He added that the government’s decision to raise the interest rate further had compounded difficulties for industry. He also stressed the importance of Korangi Industrial Area, which hosts a considerable share of the country’s pharmaceutical industry. He praised the Ministry of Health’s move to digitalize DRAP, saying it had substantially eased operational difficulties for drugmakers and improved the regulatory environment.
