Consumer Affairs Minister Johnston Fernando said today a Gazette Notification had been issued to specify the maximum retail price of drugs with effect from January 1.

He said the decision was taken to prevent different pharmacists from selling the same medicinal drug at different prices even though they were manufactured by the same company.

“Earlier the manufacturers, importers and pharmacists specified the prices but under the Gazette Notification this can only be done by the manufacturers and the importers,” the minister said. “We hope to take further action with regard to the sale of medicinal drugs in collaboration with the Health Ministry and put a stop to the sale ofmedicinal drugs at different prices.”

He said he would introducea system of price control on medicinal drugs as the second step. (Ajith Siriwardana and Yohan Perera)