The news reported by Samakal on Friday is quite alarming, saying that the pharmaceutical industry stakeholders are taking action to increase the price of medicine again. According to reports, there was a hint in this regard at a press conference convened by the pharmaceutical industry association in the capital on Thursday. Moreover, at the beginning of this year, they have been carrying out various activities including making demands to the government. In the past, the price of medicine has increased by almost two times in a very short period of time. We feel that yet another round of drug price hikes is a blow to the common man who is under pressure from rising commodity prices.
In the last week of April, the Consumers Association of Bangladesh-CAB filed a petition in the High Court against the increase in the price of medicines after the publication of a report in a national daily titled ‘Drug prices increased by 7 to 140 percent in two weeks’. In view of this, the High Court directed the relevant authorities including the Director General of the Directorate General of Medicines Administration to take effective measures to prevent the increase in the price of all types of medicines. Until it is settled, how do pharmaceutical industry players hold press conferences arguing for price hikes?