Federal Minister for Health Mustafa Kamal said the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has become a fully digital and transparent organization, with more than 86,000 pharmaceutical products integrated into the Track-and-Trace System, enabling consumers to verify the authenticity and prices of medicines through mobile-phone scanning.
Addressing industrialists during a visit to the Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI), the minister said pharmaceutical companies can now submit registrations and applications online, reducing processing times from years to just 21 days. He added that in the eight months since DRAP’s digital transition, more than 5,000 cases have been processed, and the authority has received recognition from the Prime Minister for its performance in digitalization.
Mustafa Kamal said the reforms resulted from sincere efforts to improve governance and support the pharmaceutical sector. He noted that the industry’s positive response reflected growing confidence in the new system. Recalling his tenure as Karachi’s City Nazim, he said major investments in the city’s infrastructure had produced benefits that continued to serve residents and businesses.
On medicine pricing, the minister said policymakers faced the challenge of balancing affordability for consumers with sustainability for manufacturers. He warned that keeping prices artificially low could lead to shortages, forcing patients to buy medicines on the black market at much higher prices. He suggested that medicine prices should gradually be determined through market mechanisms rather than direct government controls.
The federal minister also stressed that Karachi deserved greater attention because of its central role in the national economy. He said creating administrative units could improve governance and service delivery, adding that stronger institutions were needed to address the challenges faced by the country’s largest city.
KATI President Sheikh Umer Rehan welcomed the Health Ministry’s reforms and praised DRAP’s digitalization initiatives, saying they had significantly reduced delays and administrative hurdles for pharmaceutical companies. He proposed that all federal ministers adopt the practice initiated by the FBR chairman and visit Karachi monthly to engage directly with the business community and address sector-specific concerns.
He said Pakistan’s cost of doing business remained among the highest in the region and recent economic pressures had intensified challenges for manufacturers. Highlighting the importance of the pharmaceutical sector, he noted that pharmaceutical exports rose 34 percent to $457 million in FY2024-25, while industry revenues reached Rs523 billion. The country currently hosts 662 pharmaceutical companies, demonstrating significant potential for future growth. However, he pointed out that Pakistan remained heavily dependent on imported raw materials and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs), making local production and policy support increasingly important.
KATI Deputy Patron-in-Chief Zubair Chhaya said Karachi contributes around 54 percent of national revenue but does not receive adequate attention in return. He urged greater engagement from federal policymakers, arguing that economic revival at the national level was closely linked to Karachi’s development. “A prosperous Karachi means a prosperous Pakistan,” he said.
KITE Chairman Zahid Saeed praised Mustafa Kamal’s leadership and said the Health Ministry had introduced far-reaching reforms after years of inefficiency and industry concerns. He noted that the digital Track-and-Trace System had been implemented after extensive consultations with stakeholders and said all medicines entering the market would carry barcodes, allowing consumers to access detailed product information instantly.
Zahid Saeed also called for establishing a national institution on the pattern of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) to monitor disease outbreaks, collect health data, and coordinate responses among the provinces and the federal government.
Chairman of the Standing Committee Saleem-uz-Zaman described medicine pricing as one of the most critical issues facing the pharmaceutical industry. He expressed concern over multinational pharmaceutical companies leaving Pakistan, saying their presence was vital for technology transfer, research and development, and the introduction of modern healthcare solutions. He also highlighted the lack of effective hospital waste-management systems and called for urgent policy measures to address environmental and public-health risks.
The event was attended by MQM leader Anis Qaimkhani, KITE CEO Saleem-uz-Zaman, KATI Senior Vice President Farukh Qandhari, Vice President Nasir Sheikh, former presidents and chairmen Gulzar Feroz, Farhan-ur-Rehman, Johar Qandhari, S.M. Yahya and Sheikh Fazal Jalil, Member of Provincial Assembly Daniyal Siddiqui, Najam Mirza, and a large number of industrialists and members of the business community.
