Summary Cabinet committee approves prices of 52 new life-saving medicines, including cancer and diabetes treatments. Final cabinet approval will enable DRAP to issue sale notifications.
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – A committee of the federal cabinet has approved the prices of 52 newly registered life-saving medicines, including treatments for cancer, diabetes and other serious health conditions.
The meeting of the cabinet committee was held in Islamabad under the chairmanship of Finance Minister Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb, where members reviewed and approved pricing proposals for all 52 medicines.
The approved list includes medicines used for cancer, diabetes, hemophilia, and Parkinson's disease. Several advanced treatments are part of the approval, including Keytruda, a modern immunotherapy drug used internationally for the treatment of more than 20 types of cancer, and insulin.
The final approval of the prices will be granted by the federal cabinet. After that, the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) will issue an official notification, allowing the medicines to be legally sold in the country.
The Ministry of Health had emphasized the need for swift approval due to difficulties faced by patients. Officials said delays had forced some patients to rely on unregistered, smuggled, or costly imported medicines.
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb stressed the importance of transparency and protecting public interest in decisions related to medicine pricing. Officials said the move is expected to improve access to quality medicines and reduce dependence on illegal supply channels.
Health Minister Mustafa Kamal, the health secretary, and DRAP officials also attended the meeting.
