ISLAMABAD     -    The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet on Monday deferred increase in the medicines prices.

Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Moham­mad Ishaq Dar presided over the meeting of the Econom­ic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet. The ECC deferred summaries of Minis­try of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination on fixation of MPR of 54 new drugs and increase in prices of 119 drugs. The approval was sought from the ECC to increase the MRP of 119 drugs under hardship category as recommended by Drug Pricing Committee (DPC) in its 53rd meeting. The companies claim that it has become unviable for them to produce medicine within MRP or in other wards they claim that the cost of manufacturing has increased from cost of MRP.

The ECC considered and ap­proved a summary of Ministry of Energy (Petroleum Divi­sion) regarding arrangement of finance facility for fund­ing of government of Baluch­istan’s share of obligation in Reko-Diq project dispute set­tlement with directions to the Finance Division to arrange payment of markup amount­ing to Rs. 6,238,358,879/- for the period from March 31, 2022 to December 30, 2022 to the NBP for the short term fi­nance facility of Rs. 65 billion.

The ECC considered a sum­mary of Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination for maximum retail price of Remdesivir 100 mg injection and decided not to increase the price of Remde­sivir 100 mg injection and the existing MRP i.e Rs. 1892/vial shall remain fixed. The ECC also deferred a summary of Minis­try of Aviation on engagement of International Finance Cor­poration as transaction advi­sor for the outsourcing of three airports. Federal Minister for Power Khurram Dastgir Khan, Federal Minister for Industries and Production Syed Murtaza Mahmud, Federal Minister for Commerce Syed Naveed Qamar, Minister of State for Finance and Revenue Dr. Aisha Ghous Pasha, Minister of State for Pe­troleum Musadik Masood Malik, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, MNA/Ex-PM, SAPM on Revenue Tariq Mehmood Pasha, SAPM on Gov­ernment Effectiveness Dr. Mu­hammad Jehanzeb Khan, Coor­dinator to the PM on Economy Bilal Azhar Kayani , Coordinator to PM on Commerce & Industry Rana Ihsan Afzal, federal secre­taries and other senior officers attended the meeting.