{"id":255447,"date":"2026-01-21T03:25:26","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T03:25:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/255447\/"},"modified":"2026-01-21T03:25:26","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T03:25:26","slug":"medicine-prices-in-uae-under-review-as-officials-admit-cost-gap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/255447\/","title":{"rendered":"Medicine prices in UAE under review as officials admit cost gap"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

The UAE is reviewing its drug pricing framework and preparing initiatives to encourage local manufacturing<\/a> of essential medicines, as parliamentarians renewed calls for tighter price control and greater transparency to ease the burden on patients.<\/p>\n

During a recent Federal National Council (FNC) session on pharmaceutical security, officials acknowledged that medicine prices<\/a> in the UAE remain higher than in regional and global markets, while confirming that a high-level, multi-ministry committee has been formed to study pricing mechanisms and market regulation.<\/p>\n

The Emirates Drug Establishment told the council it is revisiting drug pricing rules and developing initiatives to incentivise local manufacturers to produce essential medicines, particularly those used to treat chronic conditions, as part of broader efforts to improve availability and stabilise the market.<\/p>\n

Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.<\/a><\/p>\n

Officials also recognised a clear difference between government procurement prices and those in private pharmacies, despite the existence of a federal unified procurement initiative through which medicines are purchased directly from manufacturers.<\/p>\n

Pricing review must translate into patient impact<\/p>\n

Commenting on the discussion, FNC member\u00a0Naama Al Sharhan\u00a0said the council had pressed for a reassessment of medicine pricing, stressing that any reconsideration \u2014 especially for essential drugs \u2014 would have a direct and positive impact on patients.<\/p>\n

\u201cMedicine today has become extremely important, particularly for people with chronic diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure,\u201d she said. \u201cRevisiting pricing, even if it is focused on essential medicines, would be very positive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Al Sharhan described the health minister\u2019s response during the session as flexible and receptive, expressing optimism that the issue would move forward following parliamentary recommendations.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe minister was very flexible, and I believe this decision will see the light,\u201d she said. \u201cWhat matters now is follow-up. We will know there is progress when recommendations are translated into clear direction and when specific medicine prices are reviewed.\u201d<\/p>\n

She also pointed to weak monitoring as a key reason for price variation across pharmacies, despite existing pricing rules.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes prices are said to be unified, but in reality, they are not,\u201d she said. \u201cThere is no real follow-up, and that is where the gap lies.\u201d<\/p>\n

Transparency and local manufacturing<\/p>\n

Both FNC members and officials highlighted the role of local pharmaceutical manufacturing in addressing pricing pressures and strengthening national drug security. Al Sharhan said expanding domestic production would not only support self-sufficiency during crises but also help build consumer confidence in locally made medicines.<\/p>\n

\u201cMedicines manufactured in the UAE meet global standards,\u201d she said, citing successful locally produced treatments. \u201cThere is a perception issue among some consumers, but our medicines are competitive and of high quality.\u201d Greater transparency around medicine information would also contribute to a healthier market, she added, alongside improved coordination between regulators, manufacturers and policymakers.<\/p>\n

‘Price differences should be minimal’<\/p>\n

FNC member\u00a0Mohammed Al Kashf\u00a0said the council had been clear that price differences between medicines sold in the UAE and those in other markets should be minimal, calling for stronger price regulation and enforcement. \u201cWe are demanding that these differences be almost non-existent,\u201d he said. \u201cThe market is open, but we cannot accept excessive pricing, especially when some large companies attempt to dominate the market.\u201d<\/p>\n

Al Kashf confirmed that official price lists for medicines already exist, but said some products exceed those prices during periods of high demand, pointing to shortages and price spikes seen during the Covid-19 pandemic. \u201cThe pricing framework is there, but some medicines are exaggerated in price when demand increases,\u201d he said. \u201cThat is why the market needs stronger regulation.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added that the health minister had confirmed during the session that all committee recommendations were accepted and would be followed up until implementation. \u201cThe minister said clearly that all recommendations are under consideration and follow-up until they see the light,\u201d Al Kashf said.<\/p>\n

Local production seen as priority solution<\/p>\n

According to Al Kashf, expanding local pharmaceutical manufacturing should be the top priority, alongside securing long-term supplies of raw materials and encouraging international drugmakers to establish production facilities in the UAE. \u201cWhen medicines are manufactured locally, availability improves, costs are lower than importing, and the government can better monitor prices,\u201d he said. \u201cThis creates a competitive price and stronger oversight.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

As the pricing review progresses, members said the ultimate measure of success will be whether patients \u2014 particularly those reliant on long-term medication \u2014 feel a tangible difference at private pharmacies.<\/p>\n

\"HaneenHaneen Dajani<\/a><\/p>\n

Haneen Dajani is special correspondent in Abu Dhabi with over 15 years of reporting experience. She\u2019s also a passionate athlete, full Ironman finisher, and mountaineer who loves to embark on unusual challenges.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The UAE is reviewing its drug pricing framework and preparing initiatives to encourage local manufacturing of essential medicines,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":255448,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[103,61,60,371],"class_list":{"0":"post-255447","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-medication","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-ie","10":"tag-ireland","11":"tag-medication"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255447","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=255447"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255447\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/255448"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=255447"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=255447"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=255447"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}