Essential medicines list is being updated again

The interim government had updated the National Essential Medicines List by including 295 medicines to make medicines easily available at affordable prices. 

However, instead of implementing the list left by the previous government, the BNP government has taken the initiative to update the list anew. 

For this purpose, a 22-member National Medicines Advisory Council has been formed. This council will be led by Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md. Sakhawat Hossain. 

This information was given in a notification issued by the Cabinet Division on Sunday.

One of the main responsibilities of the council will be to formulate a new essential medicines list and update it every two years. 

In addition, the committee will meet at least twice a year and can take new members if necessary.

Health Secretary Kamruzzaman Chowdhury, who is acting as the member secretary of the council, told Daily Samakal that they will review the previous list and formulate a new essential medicines list taking all aspects into consideration.

According to those concerned, the participation of the industrial sector in the newly formed council has been increased. 

The Health Secretary said that there have been several lawsuits and counter-suits against the previous government’s decisions. 

He said that all necessary procedures and regulations have been followed in the formation of the council.

He said, “Earlier, to avoid conflict of interest, no representative of the pharmaceutical industry was kept in the task force. However, this time, a representative of the Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industries (BAPI) has been kept. However, no representative of the Bangladesh API and Intermediates Manufacturers Association (BAIMA), an organisation of companies manufacturing active pharmaceutical ingredients, has been kept.”

According to the Directorate General of Health Services, the interim government expanded the list of essential medicines by publishing a gazette on February 3 of this year. Earlier, there were 117 medicines in the list; 178 more medicines were added there. As a result, the total number of essential medicines stood at 295. Earlier, the list was approved in the meeting of the Advisory Council on January 8.

Former Chief Adviser’s Special Assistant Professor Sayedur Rahman said that the 295 medicines in the new list will be able to meet the primary treatment needs of about 80 percent of the country’s people. At the same time, they will play an effective role in treating 80 percent of the diseases of the country’s people.

The gazette mentioned at the time that the new policy has a science-based framework for determining the price of medicines, obligations for manufacturers and strict measures to ensure supply in the market. Each pharmaceutical company will have to produce and supply at least 25 percent of their total annual sales of essential medicines. Failure to comply with this rule will result in the approval of new medicines being blocked. In addition, a maximum mark-up (retail selling price) of 33 percent will be set for new generic medicines compared to essential medicines.

According to data from the US-based research institute IQVIA, 44 out of every Tk100 is spent on medicines in the health sector in Bangladesh while the global average is 15 percent. 

According to the 2022 Household Income and Expenditure Survey, about 61.30 lakh people have fallen below the poverty line due to the high price of medicines.

In 2016, a list of 286 essential medicines including antibiotics, pneumonia, colds, high blood pressure, gastric ulcers, deworming, painkillers, asthma, vitamins was prepared. However, the prices of only 117 medicines were fixed at that time. 

Although the list was supposed to be updated every year, the activities have not been monitored in the last 10 years.

The newly issued notification said that the council includes the State Minister for Health, the Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on Health, secretaries of various ministries and departments, teachers and representatives of the pharmaceutical industry. 

The committee also includes the presidents of FBCCI, Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industries (BAPI) and Bangladesh Pharmaceutical Society.

Professor Syed Abdul Hamid of the Institute of Health Economics, Dhaka University, said, “The government can implement the prepared list if it wants. However, the government has found it necessary to update it. It can definitely do it. However, the price of essential medicines should be determined in such a way that patients and pharmaceutical companies benefit. In any case, the implementation of this list is urgent because through this, medical expenses can be significantly reduced. For this, the drug administration needs to be further strengthened under the appropriate legal framework.”