Over 50% of WHO-Listed Lifesaving Medicines Unavailable in Pakistan’s Markets

A severe shortage of essential and lifesaving medicines has swept across Pakistan, endangering patients who depend on these critical drugs. Pharmacies and wholesale markets in Lahore and other cities have reported an alarming unavailability of vital medications.

More than 50% of the lifesaving drugs listed by the World Health Organization (WHO) are either out of stock or extremely difficult to find. Key medicines that have disappeared include Metronidazole, Entamizole, Quinine bi-Sulphate, Chloroquine, Tegral, Humulin Injection, Vitamin K Injection, Hydrocortisone, and Heparin injections. Essential treatments like Thyroxine, Codeine-based cough syrups, narcotic painkillers, and anti-tuberculosis medicines are also part of the missing stock.

Pharmaceutical leaders cite various causes for this critical shortage, calling for immediate government intervention to prevent further harm to public health.

Mian Khalid Misbah-ur-Rehman, Chairman of the Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PPMA), explained that the devaluation of the rupee, inflation, higher wages, and increased utility costs have driven production costs through the roof. “The prices of essential medicines have remained unchanged, leaving little to no profit margin for manufacturers. In some cases, the production cost is higher than the selling price,” Rehman stated.

Patients suffering from chronic diseases like heart conditions, diabetes, cancer, and epilepsy are severely affected by the lack of access to these medicines. The situation is worsened by hoarding and black-market sales at inflated prices, adding to patients’ struggles.

“The risk of patients buying unregistered, smuggled, and counterfeit drugs has increased,” Rehman warned. He called on the government to revise drug prices to ensure fair profit margins and to enforce the Drug Pricing Policy 2018. An annual price revision is necessary to stabilize the pharmaceutical sector and safeguard patient access to essential treatments.

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