Reza Mahmud :
The prices of drugs have risen in recent days indiscriminately. The drug traders and the consumers alleged that some of the pharmaceutical companies and the whole sellers are liable for the increase of the prices of medicines. But no one can clearly say why the prices are going up.
“I don’t know the right answer why the drug prices have increased. There may be two main causes behind the price hike of drugs — firstly, raw materials price increase in the world market and secondly, increase of salaries of workers and employees in the pharmaceutical companies as the government has increased salaries of public services,” S M Shafiuzzaman, General Secretary of Bangladesh Oshud Shilpa Samity told The New Nation on Sunday.
He said, if the prices of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) are increased in the international market then the prices in the local market automatically hike. But some officials of pharmaceutical companies said, the API price has not increased in China, Malaysia and India, from where our manufacturers are used to import.
The retailers said, while some drug companies increased the price of their medicines, at the same time others follow them and hiked prices. Recently, the whole sellers at Mitford Road and in others city areas frequently create fake crisis of drugs and increased prices, they alleged.
“We are unwittingly selling medicines in increased prices as we buy those from the whole sellers at Mitford Road in increased prices. Some time the whole sellers stock medicines and create artificial crises to hike price. We, specially the consumers, become victim of that,” Said Husain Ahmed, owner of Medicine Point at Satis Sarkar Road, Gendaria, Dhaka.
He said, we couldn’t buy drugs after given orders. The agents say the companies are waiting to hike prices of some medicines, so they are not producing them for long.
The retail medicine traders said, prices of Neurology, Gastroantrology, Diabetics, Blood Pressures, Cardiac diseases, Cold-related diseases, sleeping and Calcium drugs have been increased. They said, every company has increased the prices of calcium tablets from Tk 5 to 7 per tablet. Prices of Vitamin B1, B6 and B12 tablets have also been hiked by every company by Tk 5 to 8 for each tablet.
The price of Anclog plus hiked by Tk 20 and is now selling at Tk.120 while its previous price was tk.100. In the same way Odrel plus now is selling at Tk.120 while its previous price was Tk.110. The Clonazipam groups’ tablets price also hiked. Per tablet of Clonazipam .5 hiked by Tk 3 to 6 in recent months, while Clonazipam 1 now is selling at Tk 7 instead of previous price Tk 6. The price of Clonazipam 2 tablets has increased by Tk 1 to 3 per piece.
The prices of medicines of Domperidon groups, which is used to curb acidity, also hiked. Per tablet of Domin is now selling at Tk 2.50 while its previous price was Tk. 2.
Galvusmet 30 tablets of Novartis are now selling at Tk 945 instead of Tk 845. Voltaren tablet is now selling at Tk 5.80 instead of previous price Tk 4 only.
Orion Pharma increased their 30 pieces of Pep-2 tablets price by Tk 78 from Tk 60. 100 pieces of Deslor tablets, which is used for cold related sickness, are now selling at Tk 400 from Tk 300.
Potassium by carbonate syrup’s price was hiked by Tk 150 from Tk 125. In the same way Nero-B per file now increased by Tk 240 from Tk 150. 15 tablets of Calbo-D was hiked by Tk 105 from Tk 75. According to Bangladesh Chemists and Druggists Samity, Square Pharmaceuticals, Beximco Pharma, Incepta, Orion, Sanofi-Aventis, Novartis, Sendoz, Becon Pharma and Health Care, among others, have increased the prices of their drugs. Besides, huge fake medicines also spread in the market, which increased health risks for the people.
Sources said, there are two committees in Bangladesh Drugs Administration Department to fix the prices of medicines. But the meetings of those committees have not been held for a long time. Then how the companies hiked their prices is not clear.
When tried to contact on several times with the Acting Director of Drug Administration Department, Mohammad Ruhul Amin, his cxell phone was found switched off.
