A medicine previously sold for Rs. 76,000 now being recommended to be sold for Rs. 370. - NMRA Confirmed

⭕ A medicine previously sold for Rs. 76,000 is now being recommended to be sold for Rs. 370, according to Chairman of the National Medicine Regulatory Authority (NMRA) Dr. Ananda Wijewickrama Sri Lanka 🇱🇰

⭕ The price discrepancy was spotted by a specialist doctor part of a committee appointed to review medicine prices, who found that the medicine was being sold at an unusually high price .

⭕ The medicine, a vaccine used for heart surgeries, was previously priced at Rs. 76,000 in 2018, but the NMRA has proposed a new price of Rs. 370

⭕ The change in price comes after the introduction of three new suppliers to the market, ending the monopoly previously held by a single company

⭕ Health Minister Nalinda Jayathissa confirmed that the issue is a result of monopolistic practices and the influence of a “drug mafia”

⭕ From 2019 to 2023, Rs. 342.49 million were spent to purchase the Papuvarine injection at various price points from Rs. 58,000, 62,000, 64,000 and 76,000

⭕ An investigation will be launched to determine how approvals were granted under the previous system, with the company involved being politically connected Sri Lanka 🇱🇰

#SriLanka #Medicine