DOHA: Prices of 457 generic medicines have fallen in the local market by an average of 28 percent effective from Friday.
This is the second phase of a major price cut being enforced by the Supreme Council of Health in line with a GCC decision to unify import prices of all medicines.
In September last year, the SCH reduced the prices of 657 innovative medicines in the same categories. Prices of more medicines are expected to fall in the months to come, with the SCH announcing plans to fix prices of about 1,820 medicines by the second half of this year.
The current price cut includes generic medicines for the most common chronic diseases in the GCC countries, including cardiovascular, endocrine, musculoskeletal, skin, and gastrointestinal diseases. Prices of innovative medicines in the same categories were reduced in the first phase.
“Innovative medicine is that produced by a pharmaceutical company and for which it holds a patent right for a number of years, after which the door is open for the other companies to produce the same medicine under a different name, which is known as a generic medicine,” the SCH said in a statement yesterday.
The number of generic medicines included in the current phase is 652, but the price cut applies to only 457 medicines. The reduction ranges from 0.45 per cent to 79.25 percent, with an average of 28.48 percent, it added.
In the first phase, prices were reduced by 30 to 40 per cent on average, with the highest cut reaching about 75 percent.
The SCH said it is working to fix the prices more medicines in the following categories: Nervous system, obstetrics and gynaecology, infectious diseases, ear, nose and throat diseases, medical lotions and vitamins, respiratory system diseases, anesthetics, tumours and cancers, immunity diseases, and eye diseases.
“Unifying the import price for medicines aims mainly to provide high quality medicines at affordable prices to serve the interest of the public the health sector heeds the most,” said the SCH statement.
Retailers said they are not anticipating a shortage in supply following price reduction.
“We are selling our stocks at reduced prices and will place orders for more as they run out,” said a pharmacist.
The Peninsula
