Patients across major cities are struggling as drug prices rise amid lax oversight and global supply pressures
LAHORE/KARACHI/PESHAWAR:
Rising drug prices across Lahore, Karachi and Peshawar are pushing patients into deeper crisis as lax price controls, global supply disruptions and policy gaps continue to push essential treatment out of reach.
The situation has worsened amid regional tensions involving the US 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 risen repeatedly since 2023. Prices rose by around 50 percent in 2024 and another 30 to 40 percent in 2025, while the imposition of 18 percent general VAT has increased the burden on consumers.
In Lahore, patients say even basic treatment has become unaffordable despite pharmacies advertising discounts of up to 15 percent. Muhammad Amir, a diabetes patient, said his monthly medicine expenses have doubled from around Rs 5,000 to nearly Rs 10,000. “If prices keep rising like this, it will become impossible to continue treatment,” he said.
Pharmacist and drug price expert Noor Mehr said the deregulation of drug prices has weakened oversight. “After decontrol policies, companies effectively set the 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 to be 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 medication now costs over Rs 2,000 a month, almost 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, calling on authorities to ensure affordable access to life-saving medicines.
Chairman of Pakistan Chemist and Drug Association Abdul Samad Budhani said that price increase of non-essential drugs continues unchecked due to political structures. “When the government delays decisions on pricing of essential drugs, importers reduce supply, leading to shortages, especially for critical drugs like insulin,” he said.
In Peshawar, similar concerns are emerging as patients and pharmacists report shortages of key medicines along with rising prices, particularly for antibiotics, insulin and pregnancy drugs. Health professionals say drug companies are charging arbitrary prices to customers because of lax oversight.
Dr. Adnan Rizvi, president of Pakistan Pharmacists Association Sindh, warned that irrational prescribing and self-medication are exacerbating the crisis. “Doctors often prescribe unnecessary multivitamins, while patients often buy drugs without a prescription. If this trend continues, treatment options will become increasingly limited, as no major new antibiotics are expected in 2030,” he added.
Industry stakeholders attribute rising prices to several factors, including currency depreciation, increased import costs and dependence on raw materials from India and China, which together supply the majority of pharmaceutical raw materials.
Mian Mahmood, a medical store chain owner in Lahore, said global factors play 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 stabilize the market.
Meanwhile, public hospitals in all three cities continue to face drug shortages, with patients often receiving only partial prescriptions and forced to buy the remaining drugs from private pharmacies at significantly higher prices.
Jawad Ameen, Chairman of the NAFA Group, emphasized the importance of promoting generic drugs. “More than 80 percent of the drugs used globally are generics, which are 70 to 90 percent cheaper and just as effective,” he said, noting that affordability improves treatment adherence and health outcomes.
Despite regulatory assurances that locally produced generic drugs meet international standards, many patients and doctors in Pakistan continue to prefer branded drugs, limiting the potential benefits of cheaper alternatives.
Wholesalers say prices of several drugs have risen by 50 to 75 percent over the past two years, with some witnessing repeated increases 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.
