ISLAMABAD: Several essential medicines — including advanced cancer immunotherapy drugs, vaccines and other life-saving treatments — remain unavailable in the country as the federal government has yet to finalise and notify their prices, despite recommendations from the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap), healthcare professionals and pharmaceutical industry representatives, The News reported citing officials.
The officials said the Drap Drug Pricing Committee (DPC) had already finalised prices for a number of important medicines, which were subsequently endorsed by the Drap Policy Board and later on reviewed by a special committee constituted by the prime minister and headed by Federal Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb.
However, the federal cabinet has not yet issued the statutory regulatory orders required to formally notify the prices.
Healthcare professionals warn that the delay is limiting treatment options for thousands of patients suffering from cancer, infectious diseases and other serious medical conditions.
Among the medicines awaiting price notification are advanced anti-cancer therapies such as nivolumab and pembrolizumab, two immunotherapy drugs that have significantly improved survival in several types of cancers by enabling the body’s immune system to recognise and attack cancer cells.
Another medicine awaiting price approval is nilotinib hydrochloride, which is widely used in the treatment of certain forms of leukemia.
“These medicines are now considered standard treatment in many cancers around the world,” said Dr Hira Ahmed, a senior oncologist at a major tertiary care hospital. “When they are not available through regulated channels in Pakistan, patients are deprived of modern therapies that could significantly improve survival and quality of life.”
Other medicines awaiting notification include tacrolimus hydrochloride used to prevent rejection in organ transplant patients and verapamil hydrochloride used in cardiac therapy. Several important vaccines including the Typhoid Vi polysaccharide vaccine, poliomyelitis vaccine and pneumococcal vaccines used to prevent invasive bacterial infections are also pending price notification.
In addition, human rabies immunoglobulin used in the management of rabies exposure, recombinant human coagulation factor VIII used in haemophilia treatment, and the malaria therapy pyronaridine plus artesunate are also awaiting official price fixation.
Semaglutide injection used for obesity and diabetes management and adalimumab used for autoimmune disorders and certain cancers are also among the medicines whose prices have been approved by regulators but have not yet been formally notified by the government.
Healthcare professionals say timely access to such medicines is essential for improving patient outcomes and preventing avoidable complications and deaths.
Pharmaceutical industry officials said the issue is not related to an increase in medicine prices but rather the fixation of prices for new medicines so they can be legally marketed in Pakistan.
“Without official price notification, companies cannot import or supply these medicines in the country even if they are approved internationally and urgently needed by patients,” a senior pharmaceutical industry official said.
They warn that delays in price notification often create a situation in which patients attempt to obtain medicines through informal or smuggled channels.
“When medicines are not available through regulated supply chains, the market often sees the emergence of smuggled or falsified drugs. These medicines may be substandard, improperly stored or counterfeit, posing serious risks to patients,” the official said.
Industry representatives say the delay is also affecting Pakistan’s pharmaceutical export potential because many importing countries require that a medicine be registered and marketed in its country of origin before granting approval for import.
According to industry officials, the prices of several medicines were finalised during the 62nd meeting of the Drug Pricing Committee held in December 2024 but the SRO for those decisions has not yet been issued. Similarly, another DPC meeting held on December 7, 2025 also resulted in pricing decisions that remain pending notification.
Officials at Drap confirmed that the pricing proposals for these medicines had already completed the regulatory review process. According to Drap officials, the Drug Pricing Committee finalised the proposed prices and the Drap Policy Board recommended them for approval before forwarding the proposals to the federal government for notification.
“The regulatory process within Drap has largely been completed. The issuance of SROs by the federal government is required so that these medicines can be legally marketed in Pakistan,” a Drap official said.
Healthcare professionals and pharmaceutical industry representatives have urged the federal government to expedite the notification of pending SROs, saying timely availability of these life-saving medicines is essential for patients and for strengthening Pakistan’s healthcare system.
