In execution of the High Court guidelines and in line with MOH eagerness to provide the best health services to both citizens and residents, MOH will start implementation of a decision for lowering drug prices and re-pricing imported drugs as of 23/01/1429, being 01/02/2008.
The MOH Director General of Medical Licenses and Pharmaceutical Affairs Pharmacist Ali Al-Zawawi said the new pricing policy has been the result of careful studies conducted in consideration of both the needs of citizens and the rights of importers and agencies. He said MOH will carefully monitor the quality of drugs through its highly efficient labs and take decisive actions towards breaching companies.
According to Al-Zawawi, the decision for reducing drug prices and re-pricing imported and locally classified drugs shall be implemented through adopting Saudi Riyals in determining prices for exported drugs and lowering prices of invented drugs which has been registered more than five years ago by one percent for each year. He said MOH, through applying this mechanism, has been able to lower or fix the prices 60% of registered drugs. "We have also been able to implement Saudi Riyal as a pricing medium for exported drugs, thus ensuring constant drug prices in face of fluctuating exchange rates of the Saudi Riyal", he said.
He said MOH has fulfilled all legal and regulatory requirements prior to issuance of the new policy, which has been the result of detailed study that continued for a whole year."We held a number of meetings with drug agents and importers in which all relative aspects have been discussed for reaching the above results", he said.