Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Wednesday formed a committee to review the demand of the pharmaceutical companies to increase the prices of medicines, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

A notification in this regard states that the committee was formed on the request of the pharmaceutical companies to increase the prices of medicines.

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar will head the committee on behalf of the government.

The committee will comprise Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and other senior government officials.

The committee will consider and decide on the demands for increasing the prices of medicines.

The high-level committee will also review the Drug Pricing Policy 2018.

It is to be noted here that the pharmaceutical industry is demanding a 40 per cent hike in the prices of all medicines.

Farooq Bukhari, Zahid Saeed, Qazi Mansoor Dilawar, Tauqeerul Haq and others will represent the local pharmaceutical industry.

Irum Shakir Rahim and Ayesha Haq will represent the multinational pharmaceutical companies.