Prices of essential medicines jump, insulin more than doubles

Prices of several essential and life-saving medicines across the country have been increased, 24NewsHD TV reported on Friday.

Among the sharpest increases, the retail price of Humapen Ergo II insulin has surged to Rs4,720 from Rs2,200, more than doubling the cost of a key treatment used by patients with diabetes.

Several other widely used medicines have also recorded notable increases under the latest round of price revisions.

The price of Strepsils Soda Pack has been raised to Rs620 from Rs530, while the Surbex-Z tablet pack now costs Rs510, up from Rs480.

Similarly, the price of Bevidox has increased to Rs600 from Rs500, while Thyronorm, a medicine used to treat thyroid-related conditions, has jumped to Rs290 from Rs85.

The price of Tyvair has also been revised upward to Rs930 from Rs805, while market sources said several other life-saving medicines had become more expensive in the latest round of revisions.

The sharp rise in drug prices is expected to deepen the financial strain on patients who rely on long-term medication.

Reporter: Zahid Chaudhry