Govt to fix prices of 295 essential medicines

The government has decided to fix the prices of 295 essential medicines to ensure affordability and access to treatment for the general public.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Advisory Council on Thursday, following the inclusion of 135 new medicines in the essential medicines list by the interim government.

With the latest additions, the total number of medicines on the list now stands at 295, which may rise to 296 if one or two more drugs are approved on Thursday.

Mohammad Sayedur Rahman, special assistant to the chief adviser on health affairs, disclosed the information in the afternoon at a press briefing at the Foreign Service Academy.

Speaking at the briefing, Sayedur Rahman said a revised list of essential medicines has been prepared, significantly expanded from the previous one. He said all medicines included in the list would be sold at prices fixed by the government.

“The core issue is that medicines listed as essential will have to be sold at government-determined prices,” he said, adding that vendors would be required to comply with the pricing mechanism to ensure public access to treatment and medicines.

However, he noted that sellers would be given a certain period of time to adjust to the new pricing system before full enforcement begins.