Tag: DRAP

  • Life-saving medicines in Pakistan to become 14% more expensive

    Life-saving medicines in Pakistan to become 14% more expensive

    The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has announced an increase of up to 14 per cent in the prices of life-saving medicines, following approval from the federal government.

    According to ARY News, DRAP stated that life-saving drugs will experience a 14 per cent hike, while all other medicines will see a 20 per cent increase.

    The regulatory authority clarified that these price adjustments are considered a one-time dispensation, in line with the 70 per cent rise in the consumer price index (CPI). This increase will be regarded as the annual raise for the fiscal year 2023-24, with no further increments in the upcoming financial year.

    The DRAP’s Policy Board will evaluate the situation after three months, specifically in July 2023, and submit recommendations to the federal government for potential price reductions, should the Rupee appreciate in value.

    The Economic Advisory Committee had already endorsed the price hike, taking into account the escalating fuel prices and the devaluation of the Rupee, which have contributed to record-high inflation in recent months, impacting various sectors of the economy.

    Earlier reports indicated a 0.16 per cent year-on-year decrease in weekly inflation, as measured by the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), for the week ending on May 18. However, short-term inflation surged to an unprecedented 48.35 per cent for the period ending on May 4.

    The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) released data indicating a combined index of 255.12, compared to 255.53 on May 11, 2023. In contrast, the index stood at 175.08 a year ago, on May 19, 2022.

  • President Alvi takes notice of prescribing ‘unnecessary medications’

    President Alvi takes notice of prescribing ‘unnecessary medications’

    President of Pakistan Dr Arif Alvi has reportedly taken notice of the unnecessary sale of medicines.

    He asked about the priority of doctors, whether it was the sale of medicines or the health of their patients. 

    Vice-Chancellor of Health Services Academy Dr Shehzad Ali Khan said that the president shared a prescription on which a total of 21 medicines were written.

    Drug Regulatory Authority Of Pakistan (DRAP) officials also believe that it has been observed how in a single prescription, an average of 25 to 30 medicines are prescribed. President Alvi has asked for a plan to control the unnecessary sale of medicines by October 21.

  • Pakistani-Russian scientist introduces ‘COVID-19 cure’

    Pakistani-Russian scientist Prof Dr Jan Alam has introduced the media to a mineral-based medicine invented by him for the treatment of coronavirus.

    According to reports, based on nanotechnology, Minerolytevir is a 5th generation medicine that has been registered by the Drug Regulation Authority of Pakistan (DRAP).

    Addressing a press conference at the National Press Club, Dr Jan claimed that the medicine has no side-effects, is completely safe for human beings, and can even be used by a day-old child.

    “A patient diagnosed with COVID-19 can be cured within 10 days by using this medicine. Patients on ventilatory support can be saved by using it through nebulisation. Just one mist of spray on the face and other body parts saves a person for 3-4 hours in these crucial days of the pandemic,” he claimed.

    The Russian professor said he was the first scientist in the world to have invented a medicine for the treatment of coronavirus and claimed that numerous patients who had used his medicine had been cured, both in Pakistan as well as in Russia. He also requested the government to introduce his medicine in government hospitals to save precious lives, saying he has also invented 20 medicines, including that for the treatment of cancer.

    Dr Jan Alam has been given top national awards by the Russian government for his services and inventions in the field of medicine. He won the award for the Best Scientist in Pharmacology in Geneva in 2018, in Paris in 2019 Paris, and for his Minerolytevir in 2020, again in Paris.

  • Coronavirus: Antiviral drug to now be sold at Rs9,244 in Pakistan

    Coronavirus: Antiviral drug to now be sold at Rs9,244 in Pakistan

    In a major relief to coronavirus patients, the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) on Monday reduced the price of Remdesivir, the first and only approved treatment for COVID-19 in the United States (US), by Rs1,629 to Rs9,244.

    In a notification, DRAP said that the price of Remdesivir injection has been slashed by Rs1,629, adding that the antiviral drug will be sold at Rs9,244 across the country.

    The regulatory authority warned that strict legal action will be taken against those who are selling the drug at higher prices.

    It is pertinent to mention that remdesivir has reportedly proved effective against the novel coronavirus and the federal cabinet had approved to reduce the price of the antiviral drug last month. In May, US pharmaceutical company Gilead had allowed Pakistan to produce the antiviral drug in the country.

    Meanwhile, COVID-19 cases are once again at rise in the country as 707 new infections were reported across the country on Sunday-Monday, lifting the national tally of infections to 328,602, said the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC).

    Three patients, who were under treatment in hospitals, died during the aforementioned period, according to the latest update shared by the NCOC. The figure of patients recovered from the virus has reached 311,075. There are now nearly 11,000 active cases in the country.

    About 26,492 tests were conducted across the country on Sunday. Around 311,075 people have recovered from the disease so far across Pakistan. Since the pandemic outbreak, a total of 328,602 cases were detected, including Sindh reporting 143,836, Punjab 102,875, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) 39,043, Balochistan, 15,810, Islamabad, 1,902, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) 3,846, and Gilgit Baltistan (GB) has reported 4,180 cases.

    A total of 4,290,545 tests have been conducted so far, while 735 hospitals are equipped with COVID-19 facilities. About 559 patients admitted to hospitals across the country are said to be in critical condition.

    Meanwhile, as many as 71 healthcare staff working at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Islamabad have tested positive for the coronavirus in the past 30 days.