ISLAMABAD: As the paracetamol painkiller continues to be in short supply across the country, a pharmacists association claims the shortage is creating space for a new, high-dose variant of the drug that sells for three times more.
In a letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan, the Pakistan Young Pharmacists Association (PYPA) noted that the price of a 500mg paracetamol tablet has risen from Re0.90 to Rs1.70 in the past four years.
Now, the association claims, shortages are being created so patients can switch to the more expensive 665-mg tablet.
”It’s strange that while a 500mg tablet is priced at Rs 1.70, a 665mg tablet costs a whopping Rs 5.68,” PYPA secretary-general Dr Furqan Ibrahim told Dawn – meaning citizens are paying an extra $4 per tablet The extra amount of Rs is only 165 mg.
”We were concerned that the 500mg shortage was intentional, so health practitioners started prescribing 665mg tablets,” he said.
Paracetamol — the generic name for a drug used to treat mild to moderate pain and reduce fever — is an over-the-counter (OTC) drug, which means it can be obtained from a pharmacy without a prescription.
In Pakistan, it is available under several brand names – such as Panadol, Calpol, Disprol and Febrol – in tablet and oral suspension forms.
The drug has recently disappeared from many pharmacies across the country due to an increase in Covid-19 and dengue cases.
The drug remains in short supply even after the fifth wave of the coronavirus pandemic has largely subsided, the PYPA said.
In its letter to the prime minister, the association also claimed that raising the price of each pill by one paisa (Re0.01) would help the pharmaceutical industry to earn an additional Rs 50 million per year in profit.
It urged the Prime Minister to investigate and uncover elements involved in a “conspiracy” and avoid patients paying extra for just 165mg of extra medicine.
Dr Ibrahim said the 665mg paracetamol tablet was banned in most European countries, while in Australia it was not available without a prescription.
”Similarly, 325mg and 500mg paracetamol tablets are more common in the US. This is done because paracetamol poisoning has been increasing there. We also need to do something about this before it’s too late,” he said.
However, a senior official at the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap), who asked not to be named, said the 500mg and 665mg tablets have slightly different formulations.
”Most patients are on the 500mg tablet, and we’ll make sure we don’t stop supplying this variant. The addition of the 665mg tablet will give patients a choice,” he said.
Asked about the huge price difference between the two variants, the official said the price of 500mg paracetamol tablets would also rise soon as cases under the “hardship category” were referred to the federal cabinet.
Drugmakers earlier warned that they could not continue to produce the drug at current prices due to rising costs of raw materials imported from China.
Post time: Mar-31-2022