The High Court has ordered the undertaking of effective measures to prevent price hikes of all kinds of medicines in the country.
A High Court bench comprising Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam and Justice Md Atabullah passed the order on Monday (April 29), directing the Director-General of the Directorate General of Drug Administration and others concerned to implement the order.
The High Court also issued a ruling seeking to know why the inaction of the authorities to prevent the continuous increase in the price of medicines will not be illegal. Besides, the court also asked the authorities concerned to stop the sale of unlicensed medicines imported from abroad.
Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua represented the writ in the court, and Deputy Attorney General Tushar Kanti Roy appeared for the state.
The Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) filed a writ petition in the High Court with the attachment of a report titled “Drug prices increased by 7% to 140% in two weeks.”
According to the report, in two months, various companies in the country have rampantly increased the prices of their manufactured drugs. Prices of at least 50 types of medicines have been hiked from 20 to a maximum of 140 percent.
In the first week of March, the prices of several medicines have also been increased, with the price of antibiotic tablets, insulin, and injections for diabetic patients increased the most.
Apart from this, the prices of various medicines and vitamins, including those for heart disease, high blood pressure problems, and asthma, have also increased. Fever-cold tablets and capsules, as well as syrups for various diseases, have not been left out.
The writ document stated that a review of the production cost increases and sales revenue accounts of various companies shows that the rate of price increase is unusual. Companies are blaming the devaluation of the taka against the dollar and the rise in the cost of raw materials in the international market as the reason for this unusual price hike.
