Pakistan's first medicine price deregulation policy: assessing its impact on prices, affordability, and availability of oral anti-diabetic medicines in private pharmacies.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Pakistan's highest diabetes prevalence necessitates equitable access to anti-diabetic medicines. This study evaluated the access to Oral antidiabetics (OADs) and the effect of Pakistan's recently launched price deregulation policy-applicable to medicines not included on the National Essential Medicines List (non-NEML)-on their prices and affordability by comparing NEML and non-NEML OADs.

Methods

A WHO/HAI methodology-based survey in 30 private pharmacies across six regions gathered prices and availability data of 30 OADs, including the Lowest Price Generic (LPG), Highest Price Generic (HPG), and originator brand (OB). These selected OADs consisted of 11 products from NEML and 19 non-NEML products, comprising 17 single-active ingredient and 13 multi-active ingred

SUBMITTER: Saeed A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12308141 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature