Patients pay price of global conflicts as drugs become up to 20% costlier | Prayagraj News
Prayagraj: The ongoing armed conflicts between Israel-Palestine, Israel-Iran and Russia-Ukraine have led to 10% to 20% increase in prices of essential drugs in the medicine markets.With many countries forcing to close air or ship routes, agencies importing raw materials from countries like Korea, China etc are taking longer routes to deliver consignments, resulting in the price rise, said traders associated with the Allahabad Chemist & Druggist Association.“There are many factors involved in the rise in prices of essential drugs in the past two months,” said Anil Dubey, president of the Allahabad Chemist & Druggist Association.He added, Apart from different regions of the world witnessing wars, the imports of raw materials used in pharmaceutical companies, particularly the supply of aluminium foil/sheets used in packaging medicines and other raw materials required for medicine preparation, have caused the prices of essential medicines to go up.”“Russia is the biggest exporter of aluminium foil or sheets, which are also used for packaging tablets, syrups, medicine strips, etc. It has left its impact on the prices of medicines,” Dubey claimed.Aluminium foil has superior barrier properties against moisture, oxygen, and other gases, as well as being impenetrable to micro-organisms and light, helping to keep medication in perfect condition for a longer time period. As a result, it remains the material of choice for pharma industries.Secondly, the pharmaceutical companies, despite recording low sales in some pockets across the nation, are making efforts to maintain their profits, and as a result, companies are raising the prices of medicines. Currently, patients seeking drugs for blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, heart ailments, thyroid issues, tuberculosis, asthma, etc., are the worst affected due to the rising cost of medicines.Civil Lines resident Rajul Bhargava said, “The prices of essential medicines have gone up twice in the past one and a half months, and it has undoubtedly left an impact on the common man’s budget.”Similar views were echoed by Ashutosh Dwivedi, a resident of Kalyani Devi area, asserting that prices of essential drugs are rising and the govt must take corrective measures in the same regard.
