HC orders to stop arbitrary price hikes of medicines
Court Correspondent
The High Court has directed the authorities concerned to take necessary measures in order to stop arbitrary price hikes of medicines.
The Director of Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) has been asked to implement the order.
A High Court bench of Justice Mostafa Zaman Islam and Justice Md Atabullah held a hearing and passed the order on Monday, following a writ petition filed by the Consumer Association of Bangladesh (CAB).
The writ petitioner Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua confirmed the matter to journalists.
He said the HC bench asked the health secretary and the DGDA to stop the indiscriminate pricing of medicines.
The court also asked to stop selling unauthorised foreign medicines and import raw materials.
Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has been directed to take necessary steps against the medicine companies and inform the update to the court within next 30 days.
In the petition filed on Sunday, the CAB prayed to the court to issue a rule upon the respondents to show cause as to why inactivity of the Secretary of Health Services Division and the DGDA in not fixing the price of all medicines under Section 30 of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 2023 should not be declared illegal.
At the same time, it prayed to issue a rule as to why the Health Services Division and the DGDA should not be directed to fix the price of medicines after formulation of the rules under Section 76 of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 2023.
