Govt Clears Prices for 35 Essential Medicines After Long Delay

The federal government has approved price fixation for 35 new essential and life-saving medicines after a prolonged delay, a decision expected to improve access to critical treatments for patients across Pakistan. The development was reported on Monday and comes amid concerns that stalled approvals had contributed to shortages of important drugs in hospitals, pharmacies and treatment networks.

According to officials and pharmaceutical industry sources, the approved medicines include several high-priority therapies used in serious and chronic conditions. Another 45 molecules are expected to be cleared in the near future, suggesting that the government is now moving to resolve a wider backlog that had affected the formal medicine supply chain.

The delay had become a serious public-health issue because companies were reluctant or unable to supply some products without official price approvals. Patients dealing with cancer, transplant care, cardiovascular disease, haemophilia, severe infections and vaccine-related needs were among those most affected by the shortage of regulated medicines.

Officials said Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal raised the issue at the highest level and placed the urgency of the matter before the federal cabinet and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The government was informed that continued delays were disrupting supply lines and creating risks for patients whose treatment depends on uninterrupted access to specific medicines.

The approved list reportedly covers therapies including oncology drugs, transplant-related medicines, heart treatments and vaccines. Other affected products mentioned by officials included recombinant human coagulation factor VIII, human rabies immunoglobulin and semaglutide, all of which are important for patients who cannot safely delay treatment.

The Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers' Association welcomed the decision and described it as an important intervention for patient care. The association said the issue had remained unresolved for nearly two years, during which repeated delays in price fixation limited the availability of essential products and advanced treatment options for doctors and patients.

The wider background is Pakistan's continuing debate over medicine pricing, affordability and availability. In February 2024, the caretaker government lifted price controls on non-essential medicines under a deregulation policy, while essential and life-saving drugs remained under government control. That arrangement meant that critical medicines still required formal approvals before companies could supply them at notified prices.

The impact on patients has been severe in many cases. When regulated medicines disappear from the legal market, families often turn to expensive informal channels, where products may be smuggled, unregistered or exposed to uncertain storage conditions. Such alternatives can carry serious risks for safety, quality and effectiveness, especially for patients with life-threatening illnesses.

The latest approval may help restore confidence among manufacturers and reduce shortages if the government follows through quickly with notifications and further clearances. The next major test will be whether the remaining 45 molecules are approved without fresh delays and whether patients begin seeing improved availability of essential medicines at pharmacies and hospitals in the coming weeks.