THE continued delay in the price notification of life-saving cancer medicines in Pal(istan particularly Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) and Nivolumab is an issue that needs urgent attention. As a radiology resident and a carcinoma survivor myself, I understand firsthand how critical timelyaccess to modern cancer therapies is. These medicines have already completed the registration process of the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap), and the Cabinet Committee on Drug Pricing approved their prices on July 25 along with about 50 other life-saving medicines.
Yet, without final cabinet approval and Drap’s official price notification, they remain legally unavailable, forcing patients to depend on very costly personal imports or unsafe sources.
For cancer patients, delays of this nature are not a matter of administrative footnotes; they mean the difference between timely treatment and disease progression.
The authorities concerned should expedite the final approval and notification process without any further delay.
Dr Abdul Basit Bahawalpur