Cabinet scraps essential medicines list and pricing method

The cabinet has approved the proposal to scrap the 'Essential Medicines List–2026' and the 'Drug Pricing Method–2026'. The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting held at the Secretariat on Monday, August 3, with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in the chair. The Cabinet Division later confirmed the matter through a press release.

The government said it is committed to ensuring safe, effective, quality and affordable medicines. However, under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 2023, it is mandatory to consult the National Drug Advisory Council before formulating the essential medicines list. This provision was not followed when the 2026 list and pricing method were prepared. As a result, the two documents have been scrapped.

The list and pricing method, published in January 2026 during the interim government, were challenged through a writ petition filed with the High Court, which is currently pending. Meanwhile, the National Drug Advisory Council was formed on June 29 in accordance with the law. The cabinet also approved a proposal to include the Director General of the Directorate General of Health Services on the council.

Although the 2026 list has been scrapped, the essential medicines list formulated under the 1994 order and the government pricing system for drugs on that list will remain in force as before. The government said the essential medicines list would be updated anew, and drug prices would be set in a manner that does not impose excessive financial burden on the public and maintains healthy competition in the market.

Former Secretary General of the Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industries Zakir Hossain welcomed the cabinet's decision. In his view, the stagnation and uncertainty that had long persisted in the pharmaceutical industry would be removed through this decision, and normalcy would return to the sector after the legal complications were resolved.