KARACHI: Medicines used for the treatment of cold and flu, including Arinac Forte and Panadol CF, have become pricey with the change of season, Pakistan Today has reliably learnt.
The above-mentioned tablets were being sold at much higher rates than the stated retail prices in almost all medical stores of Karachi. According to a source, some people were purchasing these drugs from retailers, who received a limited quota from pharmaceutical companies at a controlled price (approximately Rs 900 per box).
The retail price of Arinac Forte was Rs 450 while Panadol CF was being sold for Rs 250 per box. Medical stores made a profit by selling both the tablets in the black market at around Rs 1200.
“There is a huge demand for both these tablets as they are sought by people suffering from cold and flu with the onset of winter. Both the tablets are sold as OTC (over the counter) drugs. But since we receive a limited amount from the company, we are only selling it when it is prescribed by a doctor,” a medical store owner said on the condition of anonymity.
The source added that the reason for selling these medicines on prescription only was that a patient generally wanted to buy all prescribed drugs from one place. “If we sell these medicines to everyone, our stock would soon deplete and patients with a doctor’s prescription would not be able to buy these drugs,” the source added.
However, both the drugs were not supposed to be sold as OTC drugs as both were control drugs and must not be sold without a doctor’s prescription. “Both drugs contain pseudoephedrine, which is a controlled constituent,” Drug Regulatory Authority Pakistan (DRAP) CEO Dr Muhammad Aslam told Pakistan Today. He criticised airing of news reports regarding the shortage and illegal hike in the price of drugs, saying that such stories helped hoarders to further increase the prices of essential medicine.
“Such news in the media further leads to inflation of prices. Due to news reports, the artificial prices of the drugs become acceptable and people start paying exaggerated prices for medicine,” he said.