Islamabad - The Supreme Court on Monday
observed that Hepatitis-C poor patients, who hardly manage two times
meal, mortgage their family for purchasing costly medicines.
A two-member bench of the apex court headed by Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan heard a suo moto case.
The chief justice had taken notice on the media reports of children’s deaths due to pneumonia and diarrhoea due to lack of attention by the high-ups.
The chief justice had taken notice on the media reports of children’s deaths due to pneumonia and diarrhoea due to lack of attention by the high-ups.
Justice Ejaz observed that hepatitis
patients did not get proper treatment as its medicines are not available
in the market at low prices.
He said: “The poor patients of Hepatitis C who hardly manage two-time meal, mortgaged their family for purchasing the costly medicines as these medicines on lesser prize are not available in the market.
”
He said: “The poor patients of Hepatitis C who hardly manage two-time meal, mortgaged their family for purchasing the costly medicines as these medicines on lesser prize are not available in the market.
”
The court sought a concise statement
from the federation over a plea filed by Pakistan Pharmaceutical
Manufacturers Association (PPMA) through its counsel Munir A Malik,
stating that its petition is pending before the Sindh High Court wherein
it was requested for increasing the price of Tablet Sofosbuvire (400
mg) upto Rs 26,600.
The court directed Deputy Attorney General Sajid Ilyas Bhatti to file a concise statement on the PPMA plea within two weeks.
The court recalled that a pharmaceutical
company had filed an application for the registration of a drug of
Hepatitis C on low price.
Muhammad Usman, Chief Executive Officer of Everest Pharmaceuticals, appeared before the bench.
The court asked him as to why he was not manufacturing the said medicine on low prices.
Usman informed that since October 5, 2015 the authorities were not registering drug Sofosbuvir and Sofosbuvir Lidepasvir (400 mg).
Muhammad Usman, Chief Executive Officer of Everest Pharmaceuticals, appeared before the bench.
The court asked him as to why he was not manufacturing the said medicine on low prices.
Usman informed that since October 5, 2015 the authorities were not registering drug Sofosbuvir and Sofosbuvir Lidepasvir (400 mg).
He said the Drug Regulatory Authority in
its statement before the Lahore High Court submitted that it had
registered the said drug of Everest Pharmaceuticals.
He said different tactics were being used by the Authority, putting condition of clinical trial of the drug.
He said different tactics were being used by the Authority, putting condition of clinical trial of the drug.
The court then asked as to why the company was reluctant to conduct the clinical trial of the said drug.
Usman replied that not only the clinical trial of the said medicine was conducted by two medical centres in Pakistan but also in India, adding, according to the reports of these centres, their medicine was proved better than the medicine manufactured by USA.
The court seeking the reports from the federation adjourned the hearing for two weeks.Usman replied that not only the clinical trial of the said medicine was conducted by two medical centres in Pakistan but also in India, adding, according to the reports of these centres, their medicine was proved better than the medicine manufactured by USA.
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