Patients across Pakistan are facing difficulties accessing nearly 40 newly approved life-saving medicines as the federal government has yet to notify their retail prices, preventing their legal sale in the country.
Although the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has completed the registration process for these medicines, pharmaceutical companies cannot launch them until the government approves their maximum retail prices. As a result, many patients are turning to expensive smuggled or unregistered medicines to continue their treatment.
The pending medicines include treatments for cancer, diabetes, haemophilia, Parkinson’s disease, autoimmune disorders, blood clot prevention, hypertension during pregnancy, severe bacterial infections, anaesthesia, as well as several vaccines and critical care medicines.
DRAP said the Drug Pricing Committee finalized pricing recommendations between December 2024 and June 2025, which were later approved by the DRAP Policy Board and forwarded to the federal government. However, final approval from the Cabinet Committee and the federal cabinet is still pending.
The Ministry of National Health Services stated that prices for an earlier batch of 35 newly registered medicines have already been approved, while the remaining 40 medicines are awaiting clearance.
Industry representatives have warned that the delay is forcing patients to rely on informal markets, increasing the risk of counterfeit or improperly stored medicines. The Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PPMA) has urged the government to speed up the approval process, saying patients are missing access to innovative treatments that are widely available in other countries.
Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal acknowledged the issue, clarifying that the matter concerns pricing approvals for newly registered medicines rather than increasing prices of existing drugs. He said the ministry and DRAP are working to secure cabinet approval as soon as possible so patients can access these medicines through legal and regulated channels.
