The Pakistan government has announced fixed pricing guidelines for 52 novel essential medicines, including medications for cancers, high blood pressure, diabetes, respiratory issues, and vaccination against several infections.
The medicines have now been approved for price regulation by the government, which should help to facilitate better availability of innovative therapies, especially after the delay caused due to regulatory issues. According to official sources, this will be the eighth consecutive year when such measures have been taken by the government in Pakistan.
Cabinet Committee Sets New Pricing for 52 New Essential drugs
Dr Kaiser Waheed, former chairman of the Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PPMA), told Business Recorder that the Cabinet Committee formed by the Prime Minister to fix prices of essential drugs, chaired by Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Muhammad Aurangzeb, has fixed prices for 52 new molecules, which will soon be introduced into the market. The total number of essential medicines, whose prices have been determined by the government over the past four months, now totals 87 medicines. Earlier in April 2026, the government approved 35 medicines.
"The pharmaceutical manufacturers are now expecting the issuance of notifications related to the pricing of these 52 new drugs," explained Waheed. It will be noted that formal implementation of the prices would permit the manufacturers to start producing/importing the medicines within one to two months after receiving the notification."
According to industry sources quoted by Dawn News, the fixed pricing mechanism and pending notification would be instrumental in making a significant number of high priority drugs accessible. With approvals for pricing now being granted by the government, patients who have been suffering without any medication or through black-market smuggled drugs can gain access to legitimate medicines at affordable prices.
PPMA's former chairman, Tauqeer Ul Haq, stated that the end-users or the patients are going to become the main beneficiaries out of the notification, benefiting from cutting-edge treatments for various illnesses such as cancer, hypertension, diabetes, and many others. According to him, the awaited notification will not only provide relief within Pakistan but will also enable the local pharma industry to ship its products abroad.
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The Cabinet Committee held discussions regarding drug pricing based on proposals presented by both the Drug Pricing Committee and Policy Board of DRAP. The deliberations involved the participation of Federal Minister for National Health Services, Regulations, and Coordination Mustafa Kamal and Federal Minister for Defense Production Muhammad Raza Hayat Harraj. This development comes after a joint announcement issued by the government last week.
In the committee’s meeting held earlier this week, DRAP delivered an extensive presentation focusing on various aspects regarding the fixing of prices of new drugs, including cases involving hardships where special consideration may be accorded owing to unaffordability of approved costs.
"Drug pricing decisions need to be made through transparency, evidence, and consultation," Aurangzeb said. According to the statement issued, Aurangzeb added that a balance should always be maintained between ensuring patient access to necessary drugs and maintaining pharmaceutical supply sustainability while keeping cost-effectiveness in mind. Furthermore, it was important to communicate effectively with the public about how decisions regarding essential medicines had been made.
The government still holds the power to fix, review, and change the price levels of essential medicines. But since February 2024, pharmaceutical companies have been given the freedom to set their own prices for non-essential medicines, competing on price and quality.
PPMA claimed that the deregulation of prices of non-essential medicines was a positive move, which helped to provide better access to medicines and reduced the black market activities that saw the cost of some medicines multiply many folds above their retail values due to shortages.
Speaking to reporters earlier this month, Federal Minister for National Health Services Syed Mustafa Kamal revealed that Pakistan was very close to receiving WHO Level 3 certification within months, which will allow local pharmaceutical companies to substantially boost their exports.
According to information provided by the minister, Pakistan needs only to meet one final requirement before getting the coveted Level 3 certification, which will help improve its regulatory standards for medical products.