HC seeks explanation over legality of essential drugs taskforce formation
It also directed to respond within three weeks.
The High Court (HC) today (22 January) issued a rule asking the authorities concerned to explain why the taskforce formed to prepare the National Essential Drugs List should not be declared illegal for excluding key stakeholders from multiple medical disciplines.
A dual bench of HC Justice Ahmed Sohel and Justice Fatema Anwar passed the order after hearing a petition submitted by Lutfor Rahman, secretary of the Bangladesh Unani Medical Association.
The court directed the Health Services Division secretary, the Directorate General of Drug Administration director general, and the Health Services Division (medicine administration) senior assistant secretary to respond within three weeks.
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Senior Advocate Subrata Chowdhury stood for the petitioner, while Deputy Attorney General Khan Ziaur Rahman represented the state.
During the hearing, the court questioned the legality of an 18-member taskforce formed by the government to prepare the drugs list and recommend rational drug pricing, noting the exclusion of experts from Ayurvedic, Unani, Homeopathic, Biochemical, Herbal, and Veterinary fields.
The court also wanted to know why it should not direct the authorities to include all relevant stakeholders in the taskforce in line with Section 13 of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act-2023.
On 8 January, the government added 135 new medicines, increasing the total number of essential drugs to 295, triggering criticism among the excluded stakeholders.
Later, Chief Adviser's Special Assistant Md Sayedur Rahman said essential medicines are sufficient to treat nearly 80% of common diseases.
He noted that controlling the prices of these medicines would improve affordability and ensure wider availability for the general people, describing the initiative as a "groundbreaking decision".
Sayedur also said a taskforce had spent the past 14 months consulting manufacturers, researchers, international organisations and other stakeholders to develop a framework for rational drug pricing.
It has been learned that prices of the newly listed medicines will be fixed soon.
