A recent crackdown by the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap) in Karachi revealed that pharmacies and medical stores in the Pakistani city were selling medicines at five-fold higher prices than the maximum retail price (MRP) approved by the authority, media reports said.

Following instructions of caretaker Health Minister Dr Nadeem Jan, the authority has launched a crackdown against drug profiteers across the country and raids are being conducted on warehouses of wholesalers, distributers, pharmacies and medical stores, reported Dawn News.

Drap rules state that people can sell medicines at any price lower than the MRP but not more than that.

For increasing prices, pharmaceutical companies have to file cases with Drap pleading that medicines’ production costs have gone up and it is not viable for them to sell medicines within the existing MRP, the newspaper reported.

According to the data officially shared by Drap, teams raided different medical stores of DHA, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Gulistan-i-Johar and other areas in Karachi.

“The Heparin Injection’s [used for decreasing clotting of blood] MRP is Rs800 but it was being sold for Rs3,500. Similarly, a pain killer Tramal Injection, antibiotic Augmentin DS Suspension and Hydryllin cough syrup “were being sold at higher rates than the MRP,” a health ministry official told Dawn News.

He added that Ventolin Inhaler and Tegral tablets (recommended for epilepsy and patients with bipolar disorder or mood disorder])were also being sold at higher prices.

He said medicines were confiscated and medical stores sealed during the crackdown.