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High inflation takes toll: Prices of 350 medicines rise by 10-40 percent

By Tanveer Sher

KARACHI: Prices of some 350 medicines have increased by 10 percent to 40 percent at medical stores and pharmacies of the city during the last one to two months. The permission to jack up the prices was granted by the Federal Health Ministry after the local and multinational pharmaceutical companies kept on demanding for a level-playing field.

During the last one year, the pharmaceutical industry from time to time, had raised intense hue and cry over what it claimed freezing of medicine rates for the last seven years despite steep rise in inflation, devaluation of local currency besides increase in the input of the pharmaceutical products and electricity tariff. It transpired during a market survey that the price of 100 capsule jack of Evion (Merck) now costs Rs 440 as compared to Rs 250 earlier. The 100 tablets pack of Buscopan Plus is now priced at Rs 200 as compared with Rs l40 earlier.

GSK’s Augmentin tablets pack of 375 grams is now available at Rs 74 as compared to Rs 63, Septran syrups price has been enhanced to Rs 21 from Rs 12.86. Sanofi Aventis’s phenergen syrup is now available at Rs 27 as against Rs 15 earlier. Searle’s packet of 100 Nuberol tablets is now selling at Rs 375 from Rs 354, while the packet of 15 tablets of Simbex (20 mg) is now available at Rs 180 as compared to Rs 160.

Abbot’s Brufen syrup now sells at Rs 24 from Rs 23. The same company’s Surbex-T packet is now priced at Rs 45 after being sold at Rs 40. The price of Novartis’ Tegaral (packet of 10 tablets) has jumped to Rs 33 from Rs 27, while CaC 1,000 big tablets are now available at Rs 55 as against Rs 48.62 in the past.

Parke-Davis’s Citralka and Benadryl-syrup is now on sale at Rs 28 and Rs 20 as compared with Rs l5 and Rs l4, respectively. Lysovit syrup now sells at Rs 65 as compared to Rs 40. Wyeth’s Lederplex and Mucaine syrups now carry price tags of Rs 34 each as compared to Rs 28. The 50 tablets packet of Motalium (J&J) now sells at Rs 215 from its previous rate of Rs l87.54.

Meanwhile, many life-saving drugs have disappeared from the market, which include Ventolin inhaler, Polyfex eye ointment, Amoxil syrup, Augmentin syrup, Panadol tablets, Solucortef injection, Decadron injection, Kenacort injection, Kenacomb ear drops, Imodium capsule and Lomotil. A cardiac patient said that he has been frequently visiting many medical stores but tablets like Praz and Xanax 0.5 are not available in the market.

Former Chairman of Pakistan Pharmaceutical Association (PPMA), Dr Qaiser Waheed replying to a question about the increase in prices of medicines claimed that the raise was in the range of 10 to 20 percent. Justified the decision by the Federal Health Ministry, he said it was long overdue as the pharmaceutical industry had reached the brink of despondency on account of prolonged unchanged rates of medicines. The decision to make upward revision was taken after consultation by the 25-member committee including health secretaries from all four provinces.

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