ISLAMABAD – The federal government has approved pricing for 52 additional essential medicines, a move expected to improve the availability of advanced treatments for patients across Pakistan.
The newly approved medicines include treatments for serious conditions such as cancer, hypertension and diabetes, along with medicines for respiratory illnesses and vaccines used against infections.
Dr Kaiser Waheed, former chairman of the Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PPMA), said a Cabinet Committee formed by the prime minister for drug pricing recently approved prices for the 52 medicines. The committee was chaired by Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Muhammad Aurangzeb.
The latest decision brings the number of essential medicines whose prices have been approved by the government during the past four months to 87. In April 2026, authorities had approved pricing for another 35 medicines.
Pharmaceutical manufacturers are now waiting for the government to issue the formal notification. According to Waheed, implementation of the approved prices will enable companies to begin manufacturing and importing the medicines, a process that may take one to two months.
Industry representatives said regulated pricing could address shortages of several important therapies that remained unavailable because their prices had not been determined for an extended period. Patients had consequently faced difficulties accessing treatment or turned to expensive and unregulated smuggled medicines.
Former PPMA chairman Tauqeerul Haq said patients would be the primary beneficiaries, particularly those requiring advanced therapies for cancer, hypertension and diabetes. He added that formal price approval would also enable pharmaceutical companies to export the medicines.
The Cabinet Committee considered recommendations from the Drug Pricing Committee and the Policy Board of the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP). Federal ministers Mustafa Kamal and Muhammad Raza Hayat Harraj also attended the meeting.
