Pharmaceutical companies and pandemic

The role of pharmaceutical companies during a global pandemic is crucial and cannot be undermined. The doctor diagnoses the ailment and issues a prescription regarding the necessary treatment but then it is the pharmaceutical company that provides the medicine for a cure. Without the pill for the treatment, the role of the doctor, hospital and the entire healthcare system is completely void.

Doctors, nurses, and paramedical staff are being considered as the frontline workers in the battle against the COVID-19 crisis. However, pharmaceutical and drug manufacturers are providing medicines and are acting a second line of defense against the epidemic, giving a boost to the frontline workers.

There has been no effective treatment or cure for the novel coronavirus so far, but pharmaceutical companies are ensuring that all necessary medicines and supplies are available. Some medicines have gained popularity after a press conference by US President Donald Trump, including chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and erythromycin considered as effective in the COVID-19 treatment. Several experiments in France have shown considerable results but clinical trials have not been considered, known as the empirical use of medicine before it is approved for treatment.

Chloroquine has been used as an anti-malarial since decades and the production of the drug has been largely discontinued due to availability of other treatments. There has been an increased demand for the drug now as prices have skyrocketed and there is a global shortage of the drug which had even fallen from usage. The only explanation for its effectiveness is the placebo effect while patients only recover halfway from the disease.

In Pakistan, the Dow University of Health Sciences spearheaded research against COVID-19 and has come up with treatment without going through the various stages of research, trial, technology, understanding side effects and then the final product. DUHS is one of the most prestigious medical institutions in the country and should go through the necessary stages of research and follow the rules and regulations of the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP). Several countries around the world are working on treatments and a vaccine for the COVID-19. Some are using plasma treatment, which involves using white blood cells from recovering patients, for treatment of patients.

Pharmaceuticals companies are not welfare organisations or charities but work for profit maximization. This is the misconception among the lawmakers in our country who have no understanding of pharma-economists, experts who are hired to determine the prices of drugs. Despite that drawbacks, Pakistan has one of the lowest prices of medicines in the world.

A misconception has been created that pharmaceutical companies charge exponential prices, whereas life-saving drugs are among the cheapest and easily available than several countries. Lawmakers have neglected the problems being faced by the pharmaceutical sector. They situation is unlikely to improve until we have experts in parliament who act upon the recommendations of the pharma companies.

There is a blotch on the pharmaceutical companies with allegations of profiteering and corruption else we would have foreign properties as well. The truth is that medicines, apart from being cheap, are highly effective or else patients would not be treated in hospitals. Many countries do even have local pharmaceutical companies while the prices in developed countries such as US, Europe and even Turkey are several times higher.

It is due to the pharmaceutical companies that medicines in Pakistan are cheap and readily available. Over 95 percent of the medicines are locally manufactured and sourced. Pakistani institutes and companies are researching for treatment and vaccines for a wide range of ailments including the COVID-19, which if successful would make us the first country to invent a cure for the deadly disease.