UNB, Dhaka :
The prices of essential medicines have gone up by about 50-100 percent at the retail level during the last one year as there is no legal mechanism to check the drug price hike, say pharmacy owners and consumers.
“The prices of drugs that are commonly used to treat diseases like high blood pressure and gastric problem have doubled over the last six months,” said Raju Hossain Raj, a salesman of Drugs Point in the city’s Malibagh Rail Gate area. He said 10 tablets of Angilock (50mg), which is used to treat high blood pressure, was sold at Tk 60 at the retail market only a month ago, but now it is selling at Tk 80, posting a 33 percent hike.
Daomin 500mg is a tablet of ACME used to treat type-2 diabetes, Raju said, adding that the per piece of Daomin was selling at Tk 3 few days ago, but now the price has risen to Tk 4.
Similarly, the drug seller said, the prices of the most of medicines have increased. When drugs prices go up, customers pick a quarrel with them and ask them why the medicine price is increased, he said adding, “We’ve nothing to do when pharmaceutical companies increase prices at their sweet will.”
Moshiur Rahman, a resident of city’s Shantinagar area, said he brought a file of Bextram® Gold (30 tablets contain vitamins and minerals) at Tk 180 two months ago. “When I went to a pharmacy to another file of tablets a few days back, I found it selling at Tk 285,” a worried Moshiur said.
According to industry insiders, the price hike of raw materials and increase in expenditure and other costs force the pharmaceutical companies to increase the prices of their products. But, pharmacy owners and customers blamed that since the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) has no legal instrument yet to control the prices of medicines, drugs companies increase the medicine price rampantly.
Shahadat Hossain, owner of Farquk Pharmacy at Malibagh Rail Gate, said pharmaceutical companies used to send letters to pharmacies and physicians in the past before raising the prices of drugs, but now they do not get any such letter from them in this regard.
The prices of essential medicines have gone up by about 50-100 percent at the retail level during the last one year as there is no legal mechanism to check the drug price hike, say pharmacy owners and consumers.
“The prices of drugs that are commonly used to treat diseases like high blood pressure and gastric problem have doubled over the last six months,” said Raju Hossain Raj, a salesman of Drugs Point in the city’s Malibagh Rail Gate area. He said 10 tablets of Angilock (50mg), which is used to treat high blood pressure, was sold at Tk 60 at the retail market only a month ago, but now it is selling at Tk 80, posting a 33 percent hike.
Daomin 500mg is a tablet of ACME used to treat type-2 diabetes, Raju said, adding that the per piece of Daomin was selling at Tk 3 few days ago, but now the price has risen to Tk 4.
Similarly, the drug seller said, the prices of the most of medicines have increased. When drugs prices go up, customers pick a quarrel with them and ask them why the medicine price is increased, he said adding, “We’ve nothing to do when pharmaceutical companies increase prices at their sweet will.”
Moshiur Rahman, a resident of city’s Shantinagar area, said he brought a file of Bextram® Gold (30 tablets contain vitamins and minerals) at Tk 180 two months ago. “When I went to a pharmacy to another file of tablets a few days back, I found it selling at Tk 285,” a worried Moshiur said.
According to industry insiders, the price hike of raw materials and increase in expenditure and other costs force the pharmaceutical companies to increase the prices of their products. But, pharmacy owners and customers blamed that since the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) has no legal instrument yet to control the prices of medicines, drugs companies increase the medicine price rampantly.
Shahadat Hossain, owner of Farquk Pharmacy at Malibagh Rail Gate, said pharmaceutical companies used to send letters to pharmacies and physicians in the past before raising the prices of drugs, but now they do not get any such letter from them in this regard.
