By Nadira Gunatilleke/Daily News

Colombo, November 24-  There is something that matters for some people especially the ordinary people above the age of 50 or 60, pensioners and all who suffer from Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and all the other illnesses etc.

For some individuals medications matter more than food and they are on certain medications for the rest of their lives. Only the people who suffer some type of disease know the value of reducing sky high prices of drugs. Fixing drug prices without allowing private pharmacies to sell the same drug for different exorbitant prices is a huge relief for them.

 There are no words to explain the relief they experience ! It is extending their lifespan which offers merits to all who contributed to it ! The country will have a healthy workforce. State money spent on health will be saved.

Last week the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) announced Maximum Retail Prices (MRP) for 350 drugs, effective immediately. MRP covers common medications for certain health conditions such as blood pressure and worm treatment, medications that are used for long-term for certain diseases such as epilepsy, cancer etc.

The main objective of introducing MRP is ensuring a fair price in order to encourage the public to take their prescribed medication appropriately and maintain a good health condition. Steps have been taken to introduce MRP after observing that some patients were not adhering to prescribed dosages because the drugs were too expensive, such as taking a one-week prescription for only three days and sometimes taking medications every other day and not daily as prescribed.

Significant price reductions include Aspirin (the MRP is now set at Rs.5.85 per tablet (blister) and Rs.4.50 per tablet (bulk), Paclitaxel (cancer medication) the price was reduced from Rs.42,000 a vial to Rs.26,332.29 a vial, Nimodipine (for stroke prevention) the MRP is now Rs.4,100, down from Rs.6,348, Carbamazepine (anticonvulsant, sold under brand name Tegretol) the price is now Rs.47.46, reduced from Rs.58.32.

Price List

The authorities confirmed that pharmacies must display a price list. The public is asked to report any instances where medicine is sold above the approved MRP via email at complaints@nmra.gov.lk.

The prices of almost all medications, especially the medications used by people who suffer from NCDs skyrocketed along with the depreciation of the rupee against the dollar and even some rich people could not afford to buy medications from the private pharmacies after the gravest ever financial crisis hit Sri Lanka in early 2022. People struggled to live and it was food they wanted to buy NOT drugs. Drugs and illnesses were totally forgotten by almost all.

The ordinary people suffered a lot for about two years during the peak of the financial crisis without being able to buy medications. Some people totally gave up buying the medications prescribed to them by their Physicians and some people reduced the number of times they take their regular medications. For example they stopped taking their prescribed medications daily and they took those medications every other day. Some started to use the medications only when they feel sick and some started to use medications only when they have some money to buy those expensive regular medications.

Some people saved the medications they bought to face a crisis in future ! Almost all Sri Lankan people who suffer from NCDs and other long-term chronic diseases were scared of non availability of medications because the country did not have foreign exchange to import medications.

Ayurvedic Medications

It was the country’s workforce which was severely affected by all those practices not approved by any Physician in the country. The overall health of the country was at risk. Some poor people even started to use Ayurvedic medications after giving up extremely expensive western medications prescribed for them by their physicians. They did it because they did not have any other option after meeting all the other requirements of their families, especially their children’s food requirements etc. They removed `buying medications’ from their priority list putting their lives in danger in order to relieve their loved ones.

This situation made people’s health worse because they were very worried without being able to buy essential medications that control their diseases and save their lives. No one likes to stop using medications without his/her Physician’s instructions because almost everyone knows that it is not acceptable and safe. Only the people who use at least one or two medications regularly for their illnesses know the plight of not being able to buy medications and healthy people who do not use any medications do not understand at all this silent suffering.

It is pathetic to see even some family members did not know the suffering of the breadwinner of the family or the elders in the family without being able to afford medications. They suffer in silence just pretending that they are healthy and happy in order to make their children happy.

With measures taken last week to introduce MRP for 350 drugs and cut down sky high drug prices, all the people who can afford will buy their regular medications without seeking the service of State hospitals where they can receive their regular drugs free of charge. Usually no one likes to go to clinics in State hospitals and wait in queues for hours in order to obtain their medications. Therefore all people who have some money in their hands will buy their medications from the private sector. Now the pensioners can afford buying essential medications. They will not require asking money from their employed grown-up children. Now they will not need to visit the nearest pharmacy 101 times because now they can buy their monthly drug requirement at once. Doctors who serve in state hospitals will also be relieved with a lesser number of patients.

Reasonable Salary

But in the past even the people who worked in the private sector and earned a reasonable salary did not have adequate money to buy their regular medications because they had to pay over Rs. 10,000 to buy medications they need just for one week. Before the financial crisis they just paid around Rs. 1000 for the same amount of medications.

The skyrocketing prices of drugs are one of the key issues faced by ordinary people of Sri Lanka. The drug prices drastically went up with the COVID-19 and then financial crisis but strangely the skyrocketed prices did not come down even after three years. This (2025) is the third year after the financial crisis and fortunately by now the country has become normal under the new President and his Government came into power around a year ago. This is the first time people enjoy reduced prices for a large number of drugs they use regularly.

The best way of controlling the exorbitant prices of drugs charged by private pharmacies and the pharmacies of private hospitals is deploying officials attached to the NMRA and the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) regularly to inspect those institutions. Only then the private pharmacies and pharmacies inside private hospitals will stop charging exorbitant prices for drugs from patients. Special attention needs to be paid for all private pharmacies located inside reputed private hospitals and operated by the same hospitals.

It is the duty of patients to make swift complaints to complaints@nmra.gov.lk. in connection with sky high prices charged by private pharmacies and pharmacies inside private hospitals. The hotline of the CAA is 1977. Without active participation of consumers nothing can be done in Sri Lanka because it is ignorant consumers who are responsible for paying exorbitant prices for anything silently without any protest. When it comes to medications, the private pharmacies will refrain from charging exorbitant prices for drugs if they are scared of consumers who are aware of current drug prices and make complaints swiftly to the relevant authorities without any hesitation. Therefore the consumers play a major role when it comes to establishing MRP for drugs. It is the sole responsibility of consumers to find out current reduced prices of all drugs they use regularly before stepping into private pharmacies to buy them.

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