Bitter Pills:Medicines & The Third World Poor | Page 259

145 Expert Commitlee Repon Evaluation of Registered/Licensed Products and Draft National Drug Policy, 11 May 1982, p.93. 146 Ibid. 147 Dr. Hye, whilst Director of Drug Administration, in interview with the author, 20 October 1980. 148 Letter from Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industries to the Deputy Prime Minister in-chargc al the Ministry of Industries, 22 June 1981. 149 Ibid. 150 Ibid. 151 "Association's Stand on Important Matters concerning Pharmaceutical Industry", p.2. 152 Ibid, p.3. 153 Letter from Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industries, to the Honourable State Minister for Commerce, 26 August 1981. Retail prices have been pegged for some years. We have seen in Chapter 4 that they have been described a s ' 'strikingly " high in relation to actual production costs. The Association's letter argues somewhat bizarrely that "the benefit of control, although intended for the consumer, hardly reaches them, because "intermediaries in the distribution channel... make unauthorised profits and black money." Whereas if price control were to be lifted "the average increase in the cost of medicines computed based on maximum retail price will increase by 12% to 15%. But, since the consumers are already paying higher prices for some of the products than the approved MRP, the real cost increase to the consumers will be about 5-7%." (Somehow, magically without price controls retailers will stop overcharging customers.) The letter also states: "Once our products are correctly priced in terms of their real value these will be available in adequate quantities and consumers will pay less than what they are currently paying." (Retailers and manufacturers in Bangladesh each accused the other of holding back supplies of drugs to make their sale more profitable when interviewed during our 1980 research trip.) 154 "Association's Stand on Important Matters concerning Pharmaceutical Industry", op.cit., p.3. 155 Ibid., p.I. 156 Ibid., p.2. 157 P.W. Cunliffe, Chairman Pharmaceuticals Division, ICI, personal communication, 11 February 1982. ICI is not amongst the offenders in selling a mass of tonics and other over-the-counter remedies. 158 Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh Ministry of Law and Land Reforms, The Drugs Control Ordinance, 1982, Ordinance No. VIII of 1982. 159 Expert Committee Report, II May 1982, op.cit. 160 - Letter from Prof. M. D. Rawlins, University of Newcastle to Prof. Nurul Islam, 20 July 1982. Letter from Dr. J. S. Yudkin, Consultant/Senior lecturer in General Medicine, Whitlinglon Hospital to Prof. Nurul Islam, 18 July 1982. The criteria have also been praised by Dr. G. Tognoni, Hea^, Laboratory of Clinical Pharmacology, Instituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Milan (Temporary Adviser to WHO Expert Committee on the Selection of Essential Drugs (letter to Prof. Nurul Islam, 26 July 1982). 161 - Expert Committee Report, 11-May 1982, op.cit. Wolfe, Coley, "Pills that Don't work", Health Research Group, Washington, 1981. British National Formulary, London, 1982. 252