KARACHI: The Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PPMA) has welcomed the government`s decision to deregulate the prices of non-essential medicines, saying it has ensured sustainability and would not lead to any indiscriminate increase in prices.

Talking to reporters, PPMA Chairman Taugeer ul Haq said the recent policy shift has helped restore stability in the market, revived stalled production lines and brought critical medicines back to shelves nationwide.

He added that the local production of medicines has started gaining momentum following the recent deregulation policy.

`The intent is not to increase prices indiscriminately but to ensure sustainable production and eliminate dangerous alternatives. The deregulation has, in fact, addressed supply chain blockages and made it financially viable once again to produce medicines that had become unprofitable under outdated price caps, he said.

The medicines such as insulin, antibiotics and cardiac drugs, once inaccessible due to years-long delays in hardship price adjustments, are now returning topharmacies, he mentioned.

`When a tablet priced at Rs3 can`t be manufactured profitably, it simply vanishes. Deregulation allowed us to price it at Rs6 and bring it back to patients. The most expensive medicine is the one that isn`t available,` he added.

The PPMA chief said the impact of deregulation has been immediate, as local manufacturers have ramped up production and several multinational companies that had previously planned to scale back operations in Pakistan are now reconsidering their decisions in light of improved market conditions.

`The removal of bureaucratic bottlenecks that had stalled price revision cases some pending for more than three years has also played a crucial role.

Without timely price adjustments, companies were forced to withdraw important therapies from the market, exposing patients to black-market drugs or substandard alternatives,` added Mr Haq.

The policy, he said, has further opened avenues for employment generation, particularly for young pharmacists, technicians and quality controlprofessionals.

Improved pricing models are expected to support infrastructure upgrades and promote international certifications, potentially increasing Pakistan`s current US $700 million pharmaceutical exports, the PPMA chief added.