In a crackdown against the illegal overpricing of medicines in the country, the Drug Regulation Authority Pakistan (DRAP) has shut down the manufacturing plants of 143 medicines that were being sold at a jacked up price.
The drug authority has also seized the ready stock of these medicines from the manufacturing plants.
The crackdown against the pharmaceutical companies is in line with the Federal Minister for National Health Services Aamer Mehmood Kiyani’s orders.
Aamer, on Wednesday, had written to DRAP directing it to launch an operation against companies selling medicines on exorbitant prices without approval.
The minister asked DRAP to not only register a case against such companies but also recover the overpriced amount besides imposing a hefty fine under the Drug Act, 1976 and DRAP Act 2012.
Now, a statement from the regulatory authority has confirmed the operation. The statement said the operation was launched against 31 pharmaceutical companies that were found to be illegally selling various medicines above maximum retail price (MRP) set by the federal government.
DRAP has advised its sub-offices to monitor MRPs in the market to ensure that MRPs of drugs were not higher than the notified prices.
It directed that if the stock at retail shops is manufactured or imported before the notification was issued, it should be sold at the old prices.
