The Health Ministry is still engaging with industry players in regards to a price control mechanism for medicines.
"(The engagement is) expected to end by the end of the year," a ministry spokesperson said when contacted.
The ministry was responding to a request for comment on the Pharmaceutical Association of Malaysia's (Phama) call to scrap the price control plan.
In May, Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad announced that the ministry intends to use External Reference Pricing (ERP) to benchmark drug prices in Malaysia against cheaper drug prices in certain countries so that local drug prices do not exceed the benchmark.
An average of lowest prices would then be used to set a ceiling price for medicines sold here.
The goal appeared to be to make private medical facilities more affordable.
“If the private sector is too costly, public hospitals will become congested,” Dzulkefly said.
Phama, in a statement today, said while it supported the government's push to make medicines more accessible, a price control mechanism was not the right way to go.
It said controlling prices would not address long-term healthcare costs.
"Instead of medicine price control, we advocate for the declaration of wholesale prices in a free market as this will allow the government to establish a baseline price which would encourage even more competition among medicine manufacturers.
"This is also aligned with Good Pharmaceutical Trade Practices (GPTP) issued by the Pharmaceutical Services Programme of the Health Ministry," it pointed out. - Mkini
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