The rising cost of drugs, including life-saving medicines, has become an alarming issue -- one that appears to operate beyond the scope of effective state intervention. While there are occasional governmental initiatives to curb the price hikes of everyday consumer goods, the pharmaceutical sector remains largely unchecked. This lack of oversight is particularly troubling given the essential nature of medicines for public health.
Although ideally, the government is supposed to ensure pricing of drugs manufactured by local pharmaceutical companies, the authorities are apparently listless to the spiralling of prices in domestic market to the utter neglect of protecting the interests of the masses. In common parlance, drugs generally consumed for a host of common ailments are called 'essential drugs' requiring intervention by the state to ensure reasonable pricing and strict compliance by the manufacturers and retailers. It is here in recognising the importance of mass consumption in curing ailments that prices of drugs labelled 'essential' should have been under strict surveillance. Besides, it is not understood why pricing of the whole range of drugs and medicines, irrespective of their being essential or not, should not be under government control.
It has come out in a recent report published in this newspaper that the government has no control whatsoever on as high as 90 per cent of the drugs manufactured and sold domestically. Pharmaceutical companies have raised prices of medicines substantially in latest spikes at their free will. Prices of many life-saving drugs have been increased by 12 per cent to the highest 66 per cent in-between August and November. Many pharmaceuticals raised prices in August and September when the interim government was struggling hard to bring stability in the country after the July-August uprising.
Healthcare professionals and concerned citizens attribute this mindless pricing to a lack of government regulation over generic drugs, enabling pharmaceutical companies to set prices arbitrarily. Additionally, they also blame the absence of amendments to the drug policy. According to them, amendments are needed to clearly define essential drugs, establish pricing guidelines, and empower government authorities to enforce compliance. Allegations suggest that the government inaction stems from pressure to delay finalising the policy. Reportedly, a draft policy has been awaiting approval from the Ministry of Health for nearly a year, highlighting the lack of urgency in addressing this critical issue.
One key problem lies in the ambiguous classification of essential drugs. Bangladesh's current list of essential drugs includes only 209 varieties, while the World Health Organisation (WHO) classifies 348 drugs as essential. This discrepancy raises questions about the adequacy of the country's drug policy and its alignment with global standards. The Department of Drug Administration (DGDA) is tasked with ensuring price control for all domestically produced drugs, not just the essential ones. The Drug Control Ordinance of 1982 explicitly states that the government can regulate the maximum prices of medicines and raw materials through official notifications. However, enforcement remains barely visible.
An official from the DGDA acknowledged recent price increases, claiming they approved only minor adjustments ranging from 5.0 to 6.0 per cent. He further stated that the government regulates the prices of only 117 essential medicines, leaving thousands of other drugs-produced from more than 1,300 generic formulations-beyond its purview. This lack of regulation allows manufacturers to exercise unchecked control over pricing, exacerbating the burden on the consumers.
The consequences of this regulatory gap extend beyond price hikes. The market is also plagued by the influx of counterfeit and substandard drugs, which pose significant risks to public health. Addressing these issues requires immediate and decisive action from the DGDA and other authorities concerned. Strengthening regulatory mechanisms and expanding the list of controlled medicines are critical steps in ensuring that all citizens have access to affordable, quality drugs.
As regards the growing menace of spurious drugs, it is extremely important for the government to assert its authority in the pharmaceutical sector. Effective enforcement of existing laws and the timely approval of the draft drug policy are essential for curbing both the reckless price hikes and the proliferation of counterfeit medicines. Additionally, aligning Bangladesh's essential drug list with WHO standards would provide a more comprehensive framework for ensuring public access to affordable healthcare.
The unbridled rise in drug prices and the lack of regulatory oversight reflect a significant failure of governance. Ensuring affordable access to medicines is not merely a policy matter but a moral imperative. The government must prioritise the finalisation and implementation of an updated drug policy, empower the DGDA to enforce price controls effectively, and expand its oversight to include all medicines. Only through these measures can the nation address the dual challenges of escalating drug prices and counterfeit products, ultimately safeguarding the health and well-being of its people.
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