SINGAPORE--Pakistan's pharmaceutical industry reportedly has decided to stop fighting a government plan to force down certain drug prices.
The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has assured drugmakers that it would consider more changes to the price-cutting plan, a source told the Express Tribune. The changes could come after the price limits are cleared by Pakistan's Economic Coordination Committee, the source said, suggesting that DRAP just wants to get through that next step.
After that, DRAP officials would engage in further talks over the pricing policy, the source said--a sign that the government is showing a bit of "flexibility" on the long-standing and contentious issue.
The two sides also agreed to jointly review Indian prices of the same drugs. That country's pricing is one of the benchmarks Pakistan uses to set its own price caps. The changes proposed for next year cover 318 molecules, with some prices to be cut as much as 30%.
- see the Express Tribune story