In a recent parliamentary address, Health and Industries Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana announced a pivotal expansion in price control regulations for essential drugs. Effective immediately, an additional 100 vital medications will fall under the purview of government-imposed price caps.
The existing government-controlled list covers 100 essential drugs, and the introduction of control measures for an additional 100 medications will bring the total tally of regulated medicines to 200.
Dr. Pathirana highlighted the significance of this measure, emphasizing its impact on ensuring fair pricing across multiple brands of the same medication. With some medicines available in 10 to 15 brands, the price control directive aims to facilitate ease of access for patients by regulating reasonable pricing standards.
The Minister shed light on the decision-making process, indicating that a committee comprising 11 experts in the fields of medicine and economics is responsible for determining the price control parameters.
Providing further insights, Dr. Pathirana revealed that out of the 862 imported essential medicines available in the country, a substantial 675 of them are sourced through the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation
