The government has decided to fix the prices of 295 essential medicines in an effort to reduce treatment costs for citizens and ensure availability of key drugs across the country. The new list includes more than 135 additional medicines compared to the previous one, marking a significant expansion.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the Advisory Council on Thursday. Later, Dr. Sayedur Rahman, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser on Health Affairs, briefed reporters at the Foreign Service Academy.
He said that medicines included in the list must be sold at government-fixed prices, and a four-year, phased timeframe will be set for price adjustments. Companies currently selling above the approved price will have to reduce prices, while those selling below the rate may increase them within the permitted range.
“These essential medicines meet about 80 percent of the country’s healthcare needs,” Dr. Rahman said. “Therefore, regulating their prices will play a major role in ensuring public access to treatment and medicines. It is undoubtedly a landmark decision.”
In addition, price bands will be introduced for around 1,100 other medicines. For example, if the price range of a drug is between 10 and 20 taka, the reference price will be set at 15 taka, with an allowable fluctuation of plus or minus 15 percent.
He added that the policy regarding medicine price regulation has also been approved and will be published soon.
