The Drugs Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has blamed the manufacturers and importers of medicines for dragging the authority into different courts on the issue of drug pricing and claimed that only the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has jurisdiction to decide such matters under the Drugs Act, 1976.
In a report submitted by Deputy Attorney General Sajid Ilyas Bhatti on behalf of DRAP in a pending suo motu case with the Supreme Court on the price increase of drugs, the authority has requested the apex court to pass a final judgment by holding that only the IHC and not any other civil or high court has the jurisdiction to decide cases relating to the prices of medicines.
The subject of licensing, registration, import, export, quality control and fixation of prices of different drugs comes under the ambit of the DRAP which is supervised by the Ministry of National Health Services Regulations and Coordination, having headquarters in Islamabad. Even the meetings with the pharmaceutical manufacturers or importers are convened in Islamabad whereas SROs or notifications are also issued from the federal capital, stated the report.
