Pakistan is losing up to Rs. 50 billion every year because of non-evidence-based prescriptions and unethical marketing practices in the pharmaceutical sector. They warned that such practices are draining the country’s healthcare system, accelerating antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and damaging global confidence in local medicines.
Speaking at the Health Asia 2025 Conference in Karachi, Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) Chief Executive Officer Dr. Obaidullah said that more than half of all medicines sold worldwide are either misprescribed or wrongly promoted. In Pakistan, he noted, irrational drug use consumes nearly one-fourth of the national health budget.
“Sixty-five percent of Pakistan’s healthcare spending is out-of-pocket, yet a large portion is wasted on unnecessary prescriptions. This is both an ethical and economic failure,” he said during a session titled “Redefining Pharma Marketing: From Data Insights to Patient Impact.”
Dr. Obaidullah cautioned that unethical drug promotion and antibiotic misuse are major contributors to AMR, which causes over 700,000 deaths annually in Pakistan. “Diseases that were once easily treatable, like typhoid, tuberculosis, and urinary tract infections, are now resistant to most medicines,” he warned.
He added that excessive use and unethical marketing shorten a medicine’s commercial lifespan and harm brand reputation. “Previously dominant antibiotics such as ampicillin, ciprofloxacin, and cefixime now face shrinking markets due to resistance,” he said. “AMR equals loss of efficacy, revenue, and export credibility.”
The DRAP chief emphasized that ethical marketing should be viewed as a “trade enabler,” not an obstacle. “Ethical compliance is now essential for entering global regulated markets. Companies that ignore this are losing their competitiveness,” he said.
Citing data from the WHO, OECD, and World Bank, he noted that every one percent investment in rational medicine use saves five to ten times more in return. “Ethical practices reduce waste, build trust, and create long-term business growth. Regulation promotes business when compliance becomes conscience,” he added.
Dr. Obaidullah also highlighted DRAP’s SRO 1472 (I)/2021, which sets guidelines for ethical drug promotion and marketing. He announced that digital audits, prescription analytics, and public dashboards are being planned to ensure transparency. “Our goal is to promote health, preserve public trust, and protect the economy through responsible marketing,” he said.
PharmEvo CEO Syed Jamshed Ahmed echoed this message, calling ethical marketing the “future of the pharmaceutical industry.” He said, “Our marketing must focus on patients’ needs, not sales targets. Unethical practices hurt patients and endanger lives.”
He added that ethical practices can boost both sales and brand value. “When companies act responsibly, they build brand loyalty and achieve sustainable growth. The future lies in ethics, transparency, and collaboration,” he said.
Health Asia organizer Prof. Dr. Zakiuddin Ahmed said his goal is to make Health Asia the ‘Arab Health of Pakistan’ by promoting dialogue on innovation and patient care. “Pharma plays a crucial role in healthcare. We want this platform to encourage collaboration, create solutions, and bring ease for both patients and businesses,” he said.
PharmEvo Managing Director Haroon Qassim stressed that public trust in healthcare must remain sacred. “People visit hospitals in pain and distress. We must never break that trust,” he said. He added that global tech giants like Google and Amazon are entering healthcare responsibly because they see its long-term potential.
PPMA Chairman Tahir Azam agreed that while marketing is vital for any business, it must prioritize patient safety. “We can’t advertise medicines like ordinary products. That’s why ethical marketing is even more important in healthcare,” he said.
Former PPMA chairman Zahid Saeed, communications expert Farhan Malik, and other speakers also urged the industry to adopt responsible practices to restore Pakistan’s pharmaceutical credibility globally.
The session was part of the 22nd Health Asia International Exhibition and Conferences, jointly organized by Ecommerce Gateway Pakistan, DRAP, and the Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PPMA).