LHC suspends drugs price hike notification

The Lahore High Court has suspended the notification of increase in prices of medicines.

The court has asked the parties, including the caretaker Punjab government, to respond on the next hearing.

Justice Shahid Karim of Lahore High Court heard the petition.

In this petition, the federal government and others were made parties.

Earlier, the federal government has increased the prices of 146 life-saving medicines.

In this connection, the government has issued a notification, according to which the prices of cancer, vaccines and antibiotic drugs have been increased.

Health Ministry officials say that the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap) had sent a summary to the government to increase the prices of 262 medicines. However, the government has increased the prices of 146 life-saving medicines included in the list.

According to officials, the prices of 116 medicines included in the list will be increased by the pharmaceutical companies themselves. The government will now only control the prices of 464 medicines included in the National Essential Medicines List.