The prices of some of the drugs have increased by 15 percent by the Pharmaceutical companies, traders at Bohar Bazaar (medicine wholesale market) told Business Recorder, here on Monday. Medicine traders told this correspondent that the pharma companies including Bosh Pharma, Merch, Pacific, Werick and SJ&G have increased prices of some of the products during past few weeks.
Bosh Pharma has increased the price of Penro injection, Merck has increased the price of tabs Buscopan and Concor, Pacific Pharma increased the price of Maxius and Pacific DM cough syrup, Werick Pharma increased the price of Domel capsules/tabs and SJ&G Pharma increased the price of Acenace. Traders informed the companies yet have not informed the retailers how much prices of the above-mentioned medicines are being increased but it will not be less then 15 percent. In February, 2014 the pharmaceutical companies have increased the prices of an entire range of drugs by 15 to 100 percent on the plea that input cost since 2001, when last time government allowed drug manufacturers to increase medicine prices, has increased manifold. According to Abdul Jabbar a medicine trader and leader of the wholesalers at Bohar Bazaar, the medicine companies started increasing prices of different drugs in December last year on weekly basis and in February pharma companies increased the price of Nexum tabs from Rs 259 per pack to Rs 270 per pack, Nuerol forte price from Rs 62 to Rs 72 per pack, syrup cefim 30 ml from Rs 143 per bottle to Rs 155 per bottle, voltral 50 mg tabs from Rs 110 to Rs 115, Caflam tab from Rs 140 to Rs 160 and Lipigel 10 mg tab from Rs 155 to Rs 180 per pack. Different Pharmaceutical companies have informed the traders that within next few days they are going to increase the prices of an entire range of antibiotics by 15 percent, Jabbar added.
Some of the pharmaceutical companies have increased the prices of an entire range of drugs being produced at their outlets, like SANOFI Pharam, which has increased prices of all the products. Injection H.M. Massone, which is used at last stages of pregnancy, has registered a 100 percent increase as its price has reached at Rs 1,390 per injection against Rs 750 per injection.
Tablet Aprovel 300mg used for blood pressure price has increased from Rs 1,200 per 28 tabs pack to Rs 2,100 per 28 tabs pack, price of tab dianil 5mg used for the treatment of diabetes has reached Rs 88 per pack to Rs 101 and tab gardin 250mg an anti-inflammatory drug price has gone up to Rs 236 per pack from Rs 185 per pack.
Traders said that in December 2013, the prices of a few of the drug like Salbutamol being used for asthma treatment were increased by Rs 50 per pack from Rs 125 per pack to Rs 175 per pack and price of metformin which is being used for sugar treatment has increased by Rs 3 per pack from Rs 147 per pack to Rs 150 per pack.
According to Pakistan Pharma Bureau, medicines' prices had not been revised in the country since 2001. "When we are comparing the prices of different most used medicines in India and Pakistan, the prices of about 70 percent of the top 100 medicines are higher in India than of Pakistan", a representative of the bureau said requesting anonymity as he was not authorised to comment.
On the contrary, the input cost has escalated enormously as the utility expenses have increased by more than double and rupee has depreciated by 70 percent against dollar since 2001, he said. "If the prices of medicines are not adjusted considering a 12-year gap, the companies following international safety and efficacy standards will be forced out of business," he said.
He highlighted there has been a price hike of 215 percent on food items, 163 percent on fuel, 179 percent electricity and gas, 166 percent transportation and communication since 2002. "However, the pharmaceutical manufacturers in Pakistan did not get any adjustment in prices by the authorities."