Drug price rise riles patients

While a price cut in 6,600 chronic drugs of up to 40 per cent announced by the health ministry came into effect earlier last month, prices of a few other medicines by a couple of well-known brands were increased from between Dh2 and Dh150.

Pharmacists have estimated the price increase at around 20 per cent.

“We admit that the prices of certain medicines (around 329) have gone up…but this was not in our control largely due to dollarisation,” said Dr Amin Al Amiri, Assistant Undersecretary for Medical Practices and Licensing at the health ministry while speaking to Khaleej Times on Wednesday. “But we are in talks with the companies and I promise that prices of hundreds of medicines (not all at once) will be reduced by June 30,” he said.

Dr Amiri, while referring to the price reduction announcement made by the ministry earlier this month said: “Though the decrease is seemingly nominal, the real achievement is that the ministry has not allowed an increase that could have been up to 40 per cent but has managed to keep the prices of about 5,000 products stagnant.”

“This is a big success.”

He said that the reductions had been done by the manufacturers.

As per the increased prices of OTC drugs, a popular brand of painkillers (tablets) that was earlier available for Dh49.50, is now priced at Dh62. Likewise, multivitamins earlier priced at Dh30 are now available for Dh40 while a cough syrup earlier available for Dh11 now costs Dh13.50.

A medicine for treatment of urine incontinency in children earlier cost Dh199 and is now priced at Dh340. Likewise a well-known folic acid brand has increased to Dh65 from Dh45.

Pharmacists who spoke on condition of anonymity said that though the new prices of chronic drugs, including those to treat diabetes and hypertension were in place now, the applicable price cuts ranged between 50 fils to Dh1 only.

“Patients ask for discounts but our profit margins are already less so it is now difficult to give any discounts,” said one pharmacist.

Another pharmacist said that though the ministry price cuts were applicable on over 6,000 medicines, nearly 3,000 of those listed medicines were not being sold in individual, small scale pharmacies. “These medicines might be available for sale in pharmacies within hospitals, but we do not stock these drugs,” he explained. “So when patients ask us for the cheaper medicines that were promised, we have no suitable reply.”

A number of patients said that their out-of-pocket spending on essential medicines had doubled. “I thought medicine prices had been reduced but my pharmacist has now also refused to give me a discount,” said Mohammed Sharif who now pays Dh2.50 extra for a cough and cold medicine that he had been using earlier.

“For me to pay nearly Dh5 more for a particular brand of nasal drops that I use regularly is too much to afford…I will have to go for a cheaper medicine,” said Mariam Osman, who suffers from sinusitis.

“These price increases are too high, especially for medicines that are used on a daily basis such as nasal drops and multivitamins,” she added.

Bilal Ahmed, who has to consume folic acid daily, hoped that the price reductions would come soon.

Dr Amiri said after implementation of price reductions, medicines in the UAE will be the lowest priced in the GCC region.

asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE