Recently there have been some non serious claims by a newly found Young Pharmacists Association (YPA) against the pharmaceutical sector, this reminded me a quote by Frank A Clark in which he said, “The reason there’s so much ignorance is that those who have it are so eager to share it.” It is lamentable to see how baseless accusation are hurled against an industry, which has ensured continuous availability of quality medicines for the patients in the country, despite similar ignorance shared almost on daily basis by defunct Ministry of Health and now DRAP. The association has also intentionally turned its eyes away from the fact that many antibiotic and other medicines marketed by multinationals in Pakistan can be bought at half the rate of similar drugs sold by some domestic counterparts.
Moreover, YPA has totally forgotten about the disparities which exist between the dynamics of Pakistan and India’s Pharma sectors and the level of support they derive from their governments. In such a situation, if we even ignore these facts, it still feels funny seeing so much praise for neighbouring country’s pharmaceutical sector when it is currently under ‘limelight’ for its substandard products in western media and doctors in USA have almost stopped prescribing Indian drugs. Even FDA and European authorities have been cancelling their much trumpeted registrations.
But our newly found association which does not have any existence on the internet or otherwise is all praise for the Indian industry, a rhetoric which is very popular nowadays. The fact however remains that such associations have made us cut sorry figure in front of poor patients.
DR. ABU BAKAR KAREEM,
Karachi, April 22.