Dubai: The Ministry of Health Sunday announced a reduction in the prices of 115 generic drugs. The directive will be effective from January 1, 2012.
The reduction in prices of these essential drugs ranges from 5 per cent-30 per cent and makes the UAE the cheapest in the region when it comes to medicines.
Click here to see the list of medicines and prices (pdf)
The price reduction comes after intense negotiations with pharmaceutical drug manufacturing groups.
A generic drug is basically a branded drug that uses a different name. The American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regards generic drugs to be ‘identical' to brand name drugs in dosage form, safety and strength. Generic drugs cost less than branded or ‘innovator' drugs.
The Ministry of Health in September reduced the prices of 565 branded drugs for chronic conditions such as diabetes and other lifestyle diseases.
Strategic partnership
Dr Ameen Al Amiri, chief executive officer for Medical Practice and Licensing at the Ministry, said with the reduction, more people would now be able to afford treatment.
Dr Al Amiri said the drug price reduction initiative is part of the strategic partnership between the ministry and the private sector.
The doctor lauded the efforts of international pharmaceutical companies in accepting the demands of the ministry to slash drug prices. He said the price reductions were made on a benchmark taking prices in other countries as Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Jordan and Lebanon into consideration.
The ministry also yesterday announced the approval of Bydureon, the first once-weekly treatment for Type-2 diabetes. "The approval and registration was done fast, within just two months," Dr Al Amiri said, making UAE the only country after the European Union to approve this new medication for diabetes.
Dr Al Amiri said the ministry is keen on providing the best new drugs and adequate treatment for different diseases — especially chronic diseases such as diabetes.
Joachim Becker, senior adviser of diabetes strategy at Eli Lilly and Company, the manufacturers of the medication, said this was a breakthrough in the research for diabetes control.
He said the medication will be available in the UAE by next Wednesday.
A month's dose of four injections will cost Dh732.
Weight loss
Becker said this medication had been approved for use in the UAE even before the United States, Japan or China. He said one positive side effect of this mediation is weight loss, which is essential for diabetics.
But he advised that diet and exercise are still the first lines of defence against the disease.
Affordable: within reach
Some of the drugs whose prices have been reduced:
- Anzatax (injection) — now Dh1,819.50/before Dh2,599
- Ceframed — Dh668.50/Dh742.50
- Multivitamin injection — Dh35/Dh43.50
