More than Rs. 3 billion collected from pharmaceutical companies for the research and innovation (R&I) in the pharmaceutical sector since the formation of the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) in 2012 remains unutilized so far.
All pharmaceutical companies operating in the country are required to disburse 1% of their profit to the Central Research Fund (CRF) under the Drug Research Rules 1978.
Prime Minister Imran Khan has reportedly taken notice of the unconsumed funds and is expected to notify a ‘Committee of Experts on Drug Research’ in the next few days to officially initiate the utilization of Rs. 3 billion for the R&I in the pharmaceutical sector.
Pharmaceutical companies in the country have always been criticized for lack of innovation. While they have been regularly contributing to the CRF, DRAP is responsible for the lack of innovation in the country’s pharmaceutical sector because it has been unable to launch any R&I initiatives in the sector since its inception.
Sources familiar with the development have claimed the ‘Committee of Experts on Drug Research’ will be tasked with R&I in the field of clinical trials, for the discovery of new molecules, and for the establishment of research and development (R&D) centers in the area of medicine.
Director Pharmacy Services DRAP would lead the committee as Chairperson. Other members of the committee would be Deputy Drug Controller Pharmacy Services DRAP, Chairman of Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR), Chairman Higher Education Commission (HEC), one professor of pharmacy from each province, an expert of biotechnology, and a co-opted expert nominated by the committee’s chairman.
A senior official of the Federal Health Ministry, on the condition of anonymity, disclosed that former SAPM on Health, Dr. Zafar Mirza, initiated the process of constituting a committee to lead R&I efforts in the country soon after his appointment as SAPM in April 2019. However, vested interests impeded Dr. Zafar’s plans.
In July 2020, Dr. Zafar Mirza resigned as the SAPM on Health after the Federal Government published the details of the assets and dual nationalities of Advisors and Special Assistants to the Prime Minister.
Welcoming the development, Dr. Zafar Mirza expressed hope that the committee not only would utilize the funds for R&I but would also promote ethical marketing practices in the pharmaceutical sector of the country.
