Pharmaceutical companies standardize drug prices in Sana'a and Aden
English - Saturday 11 June 2022 الساعة 03:59 pm
Sana'a, NewsYemen, private:
A sales representative of a pharmaceutical company confirmed that the majority of drug prices are unified in all Yemeni governorates, without any difference in the selling price in the local currency of the old or new edition.
A pharmaceutical sales representative, who preferred not to be named, told NewsYemen that pharmaceutical companies and agencies in the Yemeni market import medicines from abroad in foreign currency, the dollar, and they are priced according to the dollar exchange in the liberated areas.
He added that all pharmaceutical companies and agencies rely in their calculations on the real price of the dollar in the market in the liberated governorates, stressing that the price of the dollar in the Houthi militia-controlled areas is fictitious and has nothing to do with the market.
He revealed that the Houthi militia provides dollars only to the companies it follows, pointing out that companies that obtain foreign currencies from Sanaa price their goods at the dollar price in the banking market in Aden.
Citizens in Houthi militia-controlled areas complain about the high prices of goods and foodstuffs, and their convergence of prices in the liberated governorates, despite the exchange rate difference between Sanaa and Aden.
The prices of the majority of medicines increased by 300 percent compared to their previous prices, which added a new burden on patients, especially those with chronic diseases.
The bill for importing medicines in Yemen is about 88 billion riyals annually, according to statistics from the Supreme Authority for Medicines.
Over the past years, the Houthi militia has enabled its members to acquire drug agencies, and has also granted licenses to its members to open pharmacies, in illegal ways.
The Houthi militia relies on the drug market as one of the most important financial resources after the fuel market and the communications sector, to enrich its elements and finance the war against Yemenis.
A source in Save the Children told NewsYemen earlier that the Houthi militia forced Save the Children and other foreign organizations to buy medicine from ten pharmaceutical companies that the militia had recently established.
The source, who asked not to be named, added that the Houthi militia has neutralized dozens of pharmaceutical companies that it does not follow from selling medicine to organizations, by stopping the renewal of their licenses.
He explained that when organizations request the supply of medicines, they require that pharmaceutical companies and agencies have a valid permit from the official authorities, renewed or issued in the same year in which the supply request is submitted.
