ISLAMABAD: Thousands of patients across Pakistan, including those battling cancer and other life-threatening illnesses, continue to face difficulties accessing newly registered medicines as the government has yet to approve retail prices for 40 essential drugs.
Among those affected is a young woman diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer, who has been prescribed pembrolizumab after standard treatments failed. Although the medicine has already been registered by the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP), it cannot be legally sold because its maximum retail price has not yet been notified by the federal government.
Doctors say her case is representative of a wider problem confronting patients nationwide. Many families are forced to rely on expensive personal imports or purchase medicines through unofficial channels, raising concerns over product quality, storage conditions and authenticity.
Pembrolizumab is one of the world’s most widely used immunotherapy medicines and is approved internationally for treating more than 20 types of cancer, including breast, lung, cervical, kidney, bladder, stomach, skin, and head and neck cancers. However, it remains among dozens of newly registered medicines awaiting final price approval before becoming available in Pakistan.
The list of pending medicines also includes several advanced cancer therapies, such as nivolumab, irinotecan and dasatinib, along with treatments for a range of other serious medical conditions.
Other medicines awaiting approval include Humador insulin for diabetes, adalimumab for autoimmune disorders, recombinant Factor VIII for haemophilia A, carbidopa-levodopa for Parkinson’s disease, dabigatran and heparin for blood clot prevention, methyldopa for hypertension during pregnancy, as well as essential antibiotics including meropenem and fosfomycin. The pending list also covers ketamine, vaccines, radiology contrast agents, electrolyte solutions and several medicines commonly used in intensive care units and emergency departments.
Federal Minister for National Health Services Syed Mustafa Kamal said the government is working to secure approval for the remaining medicines, emphasizing that the issue concerns pricing for newly registered products rather than increasing the cost of medicines already available in the market.
He noted that prices for an earlier batch of 35 newly registered medicines had already been approved, while discussions are continuing with the Cabinet Committee and the federal cabinet to clear the remaining applications.
“The issue is not about raising medicine prices,” the minister said. “These are new, life-saving medicines that cannot reach patients until their prices receive official approval.”
Kamal added that many families are compelled to obtain these medicines through unofficial sources because they have no alternative, despite the risks associated with unregulated products.
According to DRAP, the Drug Pricing Committee finalized recommendations for the 40 medicines between December 2024 and June 2025, after which they were endorsed by the DRAP Policy Board and forwarded to the federal government for approval.
The matter is currently under consideration by a Cabinet Committee chaired by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb. The committee, whose membership has expanded to include several federal ministers, must complete its review before the recommendations are submitted to the federal cabinet for final approval.
Pakistan Chemists and Druggists Association Chairman Abdul Samad Buddani said patients continue to struggle to obtain medicines that should already be available through licensed pharmacies, calling for the approval process to be expedited.
