Cancer Drug Price Delays Leave Pakistani Patients Waiting
ISLAMABAD: Thousands of patients in Pakistan are facing fresh anxiety over access to critical medicines after around 40 newly registered drugs remained stuck in the federal price-approval process. The delay has hit cancer patients especially hard, with families searching for therapies that have regulatory registration but still cannot be legally sold in the country.
The case drawing urgent attention involves a young woman with triple-negative breast cancer who was prescribed pembrolizumab after standard treatment options failed to deliver the required response. Although the medicine has been registered by the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan, it cannot enter the formal market until the federal government notifies its maximum retail price.
Cancer specialists say the problem is not limited to one patient or one therapy. Several newly registered medicines, including advanced oncology drugs, remain unavailable through licensed pharmacies because the pricing stage has not been completed. As a result, many patients are pushed toward personal imports or informal supply chains where prices are high and quality controls are uncertain.
Federal Minister for National Health Services Syed Mustafa Kamal said the government was working to secure approval for the pending medicines. He clarified that the matter relates to price fixation for new registered products, not an increase in prices of medicines already being sold, adding that patients deserve access to medicines through verified and regulated channels.
The pending list reportedly includes pembrolizumab, nivolumab, irinotecan and dasatinib, all of which are linked to cancer treatment, along with several essential medicines used in diabetes, haemophilia, Parkinson’s disease, blood clot prevention, pregnancy-related hypertension, anaesthesia, intensive care, emergency care and infectious disease management.
According to the regulatory process, DRAP’s Drug Pricing Committee finalised recommendations for the 40 medicines between December 2024 and June 2025. Those recommendations were later endorsed by the DRAP Policy Board and sent to the federal government, but final notification still requires approval through the cabinet-level mechanism.
The delay reflects a recurring weakness in Pakistan’s medicine access system, where registration and market availability can remain separated by months of administrative review. For patients with aggressive cancers or chronic illnesses, such waiting periods can alter treatment timelines, increase financial pressure and reduce confidence in the legal pharmaceutical supply chain.
Pharmacy representatives have also warned that families are moving from one place to another looking for medicines that should be available through authorised outlets. When patients depend on smuggled or privately arranged products, they face risks linked to authenticity, storage temperature, expiry status and correct handling during transport.
The wider impact on Pakistan’s health sector could be serious if approvals remain delayed. Hospitals may struggle to maintain treatment schedules, oncologists may be forced to revise care plans, and patients with limited resources may be left behind while wealthier families search for expensive alternatives abroad or through private networks.
The next step rests with the federal government and the cabinet committee handling medicine pricing. If the remaining approvals are notified soon, the medicines can move into the licensed market, giving patients safer access and reducing dependence on informal channels. Any further delay, however, is likely to deepen pressure on families already facing life-threatening illnesses and rising medical costs.