Pakistan’s Drug Regulatory Authority (DRAP) is considering whether doctors should be legally required to prescribe medicines by their generic names instead of brand names, a move that could mark one of the country’s biggest healthcare reforms.
Officials say the proposal aims to dismantle the entrenched nexus between pharmaceutical companies and prescribers, which drives unnecessary prescriptions, inflated costs, and corruption in medical practice.
Drap CEO Dr. Obaidullah told the Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services that while a study on the impact of price deregulation is near completion, the authority will next examine the feasibility of generic prescriptions after consulting all stakeholders, including pharmaceutical firms.
The disclosure came during a tense committee meeting, where senators criticized widespread conflicts of interest in drug pricing, physician practices, and regulation. Lawmakers accused doctors of pushing needless procedures, including unwarranted C-sections, and accepting perks from pharma companies in exchange for prescribing their brands.
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Defending recent price hikes, Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal argued that pharmaceutical companies operate for profit and cannot be exempt from inflationary pressures. He noted that multinationals were already leaving Pakistan due to the country’s challenging business environment.
