It may sound weird but it is a fact that the authorities fix prices of as low as 2.3 percent medicines in the country, giving pharmaceutical companies a free reign to charge patients for the rest of drugs at their will.

There are over 20,000 branded medicines in Bangladesh while the drug authorities can control the pricing of only 460 branded medicines under 117 generic names.

The pharmaceutical companies set prices of the rest of the medicines that account for 97.7 percent. Again, most of the companies barely produce 50 percent of the products controlled by the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA).

“Respective pharmaceutical companies fix prices of the products outside the 117 generic names considering their production costs and raw material price in the international market,” Nurul Alam, deputy director and head of the Media Cell at the DGDA, told the Daily Sun.

Talking to the Daily Sun, Ghulam Rahman, president of Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB), said prices of most of pharmaceutical products remain ‘uncontrolled’ in the country as the government controls prices of a very few medicines while the pharmaceutical companies themselves set prices of their products .     “Earlier, the drug authorities would fix prices of maximum medicines but now it fixes prices of only 117 generic products. That’s why the pharmaceutical companies have got a free hand to fix prices of their respective products. They’re fixing and increasing prices of a large number of medicines at their will in the absence of any control by the authorities concerned,” he said.

Ghulam Rahman demanded that the government fix prices of all types of medicines through a committee along with stakeholders maintaining a process.

DGDA sources said it could fix prices of more than 200 medicines in the past but now it has the authority to set prices of only 117 generic medicines produced by the pharmaceutical companies.

Apart from medicines produced in the country, a large number of drugs are also imported by different companies to meet the domestic demand.

About fixing prices of drugs, the Drugs (Control) Ordinance, 1982 says the government may, by notification in the official gazette, fix the maximum price at which any medicine may be sold.

A letter sent by the CAB to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare Ministry and Bangladesh Competition Commission in February last said though it is mandatory for the pharmaceutical companies to produce at least 60 medicines out of 117 under the government control, they are not following the order and produce only a few medicines.

“The drug manufacturing companies fix prices of their products outside 117 products which is violation of Section 11/1 of the ordinance,” it said.

The letter also said the prices of 117 medicines were increased by 13-75 percent in the past six months while there is no information available in any department of the government about the latest prices of the rest of the medicines.

About reasons behind difference of prices of medicines, it was said that there’s no difference of quality of medicines produced by different companies but the big pharmaceutical companies spend huge money on physicians.

Although there is no provision of formation of any committee to fix the medicine prices, the ministry has formed a one with secretary as its head, the CAB said.

It also observed that the DGDA itself is not following the rules of the ordinance properly in fixing the prices of drugs. 

“The DGDA’s price fixing committee fixed the prices of 53 drugs with an increase by up to 18 percent considering the dollar crisis and price of raw materials in international market,” Nurul Alam said.

However, the pharmaceutical companies have increased prices of many other drugs outside the 117 generic ones at per their will.

At the same time, there are allegations that many retailers sell drugs at higher prices at different parts of the country. “We regularly conduct drives against drugstores selling medicines at higher prices than the fixed one,” Nurul Alam said.

About the hike in drug prices, Abdul Muktadir, senior vice-president of Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industries (BAPI), said prices of raw materials have increased by 40 percent while the utility costs have gone up.

BAPI Secretary General Shafiuzzaman said they fix the prices of medicines after taking costs into consideration.

Prices of a number of drug items used for communicable and non-communicable diseases, including cardiac problems, have been increased by 50-100 percent in retail markets.

Tearfresh Liquigel (Carboxymethylcellulose Sodium) 10ml bottle had been available at Tk 275 per unit even two months ago, but its price has now been increased by Tk 40 to reach Tk 315. The price of Drylief eye drop has shot up to Tk 325 per unit from Tk 275, registering a hike by Tk 50.

Monas 10 tablet or Montelukast Sodium is selling at Tk 17.50 per piece in retail market from previous Tk 15. Particularly the asthma patients regularly take the medicine.

Humulin N insulin price has risen to Tk 877 from Tk 745 per unit while that of Mixtard Flexpen to Tk 520 from Tk 400 and lantus cartridge to Tk 995 from Tk 782.

Life-saving cardiac medicine Metacard MR or Trimetazidine Dihydrochloride is retailing at Tk 10 apiece which was earlier available at Tk 8. Probiotic combination Acteria capsule now costs a patient Tk 40 per unit which was Tk 25 earlier.

The DGDA has revised prices of at last 53 drugs, including Paracetamol, Metronidazole, Amoxicillin, Xylometazoline, ORS and Aspirin, in July last year.

According to the DGDA website, there are 301 allopathic, 205 ayurvedic and 39 herbal drug manufacturers in the country.

The pharmaceutical market competition is also imbalanced in Bangladesh as only around 20 companies here dominate the market.

Sources said a meeting was held at the competition commission on August 28 where drug administration representatives and stakeholders were present but they could not give any appropriate reply to the unusual hike in prices of medicines.