Maintaining production of essential medicines
Monday, 24 September 2007
A new crisis is looming in the horizon from the unresolved situation in relation to importing of raw materials by the leading medicine producing companies of the country. The raw materials are absolutely needed for the manufacture of life-saving medicines, specially a wide range of antibiotics to treat effectively infectious diseases. But the users of medicines have been warned by the producers that the former may not assuredly count on getting such medicines in the pharmacy shops two or three months from now if no action is taken by the government on their demand to sell the produced medicines at readjusted higher prices.
It may appear like an ultimatum delivered by the drug companies against the helpless consumers and the government. But in reality, it is not. For the companies have been rendering a dedicated service to all by importing raw materials at higher and higher prices in recent months but then selling the medicines produced with these raw materials at prices which had been fixed officially years ago. They have been sort of subsidising on their own the sale at the fixed prices which do not reflect the higher imported costs of raw materials. But it cannot go on like this. The drug companies are not charitable bodies but commercial organisations and for them to go on incurring large losses indefinitely by giving such subsidies, is too much to expect since they are, after all, in the business for profits. Therefore, they have been urging the government repeatedly to take the vital decision of revising upwards the fixed rates of selling medicines at the soonest after consultation with them. They have also stressed the point that on expiry of the period projected by them, consumers should not blame them if they find that there are simply no medicines in the shelves of the dispensaries with the brand names to which they are accustomed. This would happen because the companies would simply have no alternative but to stop production in the face of the government's indecision.
But the relevant ministry is yet to show any effective response to the demand of the local drug companies. Thus, the secretary of the relevant ministry was noted telling the media last Saturday that he was aware of the problem and would sit across the table with producers to resolve it. But the decision on the matter should brook no unnecessary delay. Announcement of a firm date about holding such a meeting and also assurances to all concerned about taking decision thereafter on the basis of such discussions at the meeting would be considered the most important steps at this stage to assure the companies and the consumers that the government is serious about addressing the related concerns. If the government remains proactive about matters and issues of public concern, then the sufferings of common people can largely be assuaged. That is why, swift official actions in this area is indispensable to offset the possibilities of a full-blown crisis developing from the inability to take actions in time.
Government, of course, has reasons of its own to be wary of readjusting prices of related pharmaceutical items, upwards. Under the present drug policy, it is intended that users should have access to medicines at affordable prices produced in the country. Nobody objects to the goal of the drug policy. But when it is a choice between no medicine or medicines at somewhat higher prices for unavoidable reasons, then surely the second alternative must be logically adopted. Government just cannot afford to sit tight and do nothing and allow circumstances to develop when consumers would be confronted with no medicines in the market or arm-twisted into buying smuggled medicines at exorbitant prices. Besides, they would not be able to rely also on the purity and safety of such smuggled medicines. Therefore, actions in time from the government is overdue to relieve all concerned from the anxiety they are suffering.
It may appear like an ultimatum delivered by the drug companies against the helpless consumers and the government. But in reality, it is not. For the companies have been rendering a dedicated service to all by importing raw materials at higher and higher prices in recent months but then selling the medicines produced with these raw materials at prices which had been fixed officially years ago. They have been sort of subsidising on their own the sale at the fixed prices which do not reflect the higher imported costs of raw materials. But it cannot go on like this. The drug companies are not charitable bodies but commercial organisations and for them to go on incurring large losses indefinitely by giving such subsidies, is too much to expect since they are, after all, in the business for profits. Therefore, they have been urging the government repeatedly to take the vital decision of revising upwards the fixed rates of selling medicines at the soonest after consultation with them. They have also stressed the point that on expiry of the period projected by them, consumers should not blame them if they find that there are simply no medicines in the shelves of the dispensaries with the brand names to which they are accustomed. This would happen because the companies would simply have no alternative but to stop production in the face of the government's indecision.
But the relevant ministry is yet to show any effective response to the demand of the local drug companies. Thus, the secretary of the relevant ministry was noted telling the media last Saturday that he was aware of the problem and would sit across the table with producers to resolve it. But the decision on the matter should brook no unnecessary delay. Announcement of a firm date about holding such a meeting and also assurances to all concerned about taking decision thereafter on the basis of such discussions at the meeting would be considered the most important steps at this stage to assure the companies and the consumers that the government is serious about addressing the related concerns. If the government remains proactive about matters and issues of public concern, then the sufferings of common people can largely be assuaged. That is why, swift official actions in this area is indispensable to offset the possibilities of a full-blown crisis developing from the inability to take actions in time.
Government, of course, has reasons of its own to be wary of readjusting prices of related pharmaceutical items, upwards. Under the present drug policy, it is intended that users should have access to medicines at affordable prices produced in the country. Nobody objects to the goal of the drug policy. But when it is a choice between no medicine or medicines at somewhat higher prices for unavoidable reasons, then surely the second alternative must be logically adopted. Government just cannot afford to sit tight and do nothing and allow circumstances to develop when consumers would be confronted with no medicines in the market or arm-twisted into buying smuggled medicines at exorbitant prices. Besides, they would not be able to rely also on the purity and safety of such smuggled medicines. Therefore, actions in time from the government is overdue to relieve all concerned from the anxiety they are suffering.