Patients across major cities struggle as drug prices surge under weak oversight and global supply pressures
LAHORE/KARACHI/PESHAWAR:
Rising medicine prices across Lahore, Karachi and Peshawar are pushing patients into a deepening crisis, as weak price controls, global supply disruptions and policy gaps continue to drive essential treatment out of reach.
The situation has worsened amid regional tensions involving the United States and Israel’s war on Iran, which has disrupted global supply chains, increased shipping costs and inflated prices of imported raw materials used in Pakistan’s pharmaceutical sector.
Across urban centres, medicine prices have surged repeatedly since 2023. Prices rose by around 50 per cent in 2024 and a further 30 to 40 per cent in 2025, while the imposition of 18 per cent general sales tax has added to the burden on consumers.
In Lahore, patients say even basic treatment has become unaffordable despite pharmacies advertising discounts of up to 15 per cent. Muhammad Amir, a diabetes patient, said his monthly medicine cost has doubled from around Rs5,000 to nearly Rs10,000. “If prices keep rising like this, it will become impossible to continue treatment,” he said.
Pharmacist and drug pricing expert Noor Mehr said the deregulation of medicine prices has weakened oversight. “After decontrol policies, companies are effectively setting prices themselves, which is why we see frequent increases,” he said, adding that without strong monitoring, patients are left unprotected.
In Karachi, the crisis appears even more volatile, with wholesalers reporting price revisions every 15 to 20 days and, in some cases, multiple increases within a single month. A government employee, Javed, said his blood pressure and cholesterol medicines now cost over Rs2,000 monthly, nearly double compared to two years ago.
Another patient, Ghulam Rasool, who suffers from heart disease and diabetes, said insulin has become both expensive and difficult to find. “Skipping doses is dangerous, but I have no choice due to financial constraints,” he said, urging authorities to ensure affordable access to life-saving medicines.
Chairman of the Pakistan Chemist and Drug Association Abdul Samad Budhani said price increases in non-essential medicines continue unchecked due to policy structures. “When the government delays decisions on essential drug pricing, importers reduce supply, which leads to shortages, especially for critical medicines like insulin,” he said.
In Peshawar, similar concerns are emerging as patients and pharmacists report shortages of key medicines alongside rising prices, particularly for antibiotics, insulin and pregnancy drugs. Healthcare workers say pharmaceutical companies are charging arbitrary prices from customers due to weak oversight.
Dr Adnan Rizvi, President of the Pakistan Pharmacists Association Sindh, warned that irrational prescribing and self-medication are worsening the crisis. “Doctors often prescribe unnecessary multivitamins, while patients frequently buy medicines without prescriptions. If this trend continues, treatment options will become increasingly limited, as no major new antibiotics are expected by 2030,” he added.
Industry stakeholders attribute rising prices to multiple factors, including currency depreciation, increased import costs and reliance on raw materials from India and China, which together supply the majority of pharmaceutical inputs.
Mian Mahmood, a medical store chain owner in Lahore, said global factors are playing a significant role. “If geopolitical tensions escalate further, supply disruptions could worsen, leading to more shortages and higher prices,” he said, calling for government intervention to stabilise the market.
Meanwhile, public hospitals in all three cities continue to face medicine shortages, with patients often receiving only partial prescriptions and being forced to purchase the remaining drugs from private pharmacies at significantly higher prices.
Jawad Ameen, Chair of the NAFA Group, emphasised the importance of promoting generic medicines. “More than 80 per cent of medicines used globally are generics, which are 70 to 90 per cent cheaper and equally effective,” he said, noting that affordability improves treatment adherence and health outcomes.
However, despite regulatory assurances that locally produced generics meet international standards, many patients and doctors in Pakistan continue to prefer branded medicines, limiting the potential benefits of lower-cost alternatives.
Wholesale dealers say prices of several medicines have increased by 50 to 75 per cent over the past two years, with some witnessing repeated hikes within weeks, while no effective monitoring mechanism appears to be in place.
Experts warn that without urgent policy action, including stricter price regulation, improved supply chain oversight and public awareness campaigns, the crisis will deepen further.
