Federal Minister for Health Mustafa Kamal has said that the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has been fully digitalized to enhance transparency, streamline regulatory procedures and facilitate the pharmaceutical industry.
He made these remarks while addressing industrialists during his visit to the Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI) in Karachi.
The minister said that more than 86,000 medicines manufactured by pharmaceutical companies had been registered under the Track and Trace System. The initiative enables consumers to scan medicine packages using their mobile phones and verify the authenticity of products. He added that pharmaceutical companies could also register their medicines and other products through the online system.
Discussing the challenges surrounding medicine pricing, Mustafa Kamal said the issue involved two major concerns. An increase in medicine prices would place an additional financial burden on ordinary citizens, while keeping prices unchanged could result in shortages, particularly of medicines used to treat serious illnesses.
He pointed out that such shortages sometimes forced patients to purchase essential medicines from the black market at prices up to three times higher than their actual rates.
The minister suggested that the government reconsider its direct intervention in medicine pricing and allow market forces to determine prices, as is the case with other commodities.
Meanwhile, KATI President Sheikh Umer Rehan proposed that all federal ministers should visit Karachi at least once a month, following the example of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) chairman, to engage with stakeholders and address sector-specific concerns.
He observed that Pakistan’s production costs were among the highest in the region, while the government’s decision to further increase the interest rate had added to the difficulties facing the industrial sector.
Sheikh Umer Rehan also highlighted the significance of Korangi Industrial Area, which hosts a considerable portion of the country’s pharmaceutical industry and plays an important role in the national pharmaceutical sector.
Appreciating the Ministry of Health’s initiative to fully digitalize DRAP, he said the move had substantially reduced operational difficulties for pharmaceutical companies and improved the regulatory environment.
