A leading multinational pharmaceutical company has stopped the production of its popular paracetamol brand Panadol creating a nationwide shortage.
The company, which has been demanding permission to increase Panadol price, says that production was no longer cost-effective.
Paracetamol, also known as acetaminophen, is a medication used to treat fever and mild to moderate pain.
The widely used brand of paracetamol is in high demand in flood-hit areas where people face a number of diseases. In urban centers, too, the demand has peaked in recent days with a higher number of dengue cases being reported.
Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Association of Pakistan says that the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan had sent a summary to the health ministry recommending an increase of Re1 per tablet, but the federal cabinet rejected the summary.
The association says the manufacturer could sell the medicine at less than the production cost.
The pharmaceutical company says that it produced 450 million tablets monthly and that it has halted the production completely.
Tablets available at a few pharmacies are fake and the DRAP has been duly notified about it.
