Health Minister Prof. Channa Jayasumana has issued a Gazette Extraordinary, allowing a price increase on 60 varieties of commonly used medicinal drugs including painkillers, aspirin and paracetamol.
Medication for treating high blood pressure, cholesterol and thyroid disease are also among the drugs that will be subject to a price hike.
Traders, distributors, pharmacists, medical practitioners, dentists, veterinary surgeons, medical institutions including private medical institutions, and pharmacies are permitted to raise the retail prices of the medicinal drugs by 40 percent.
A 500mg paracetamol tablet will now cost Rs. 4.16 and a 75mg aspirin tablet which was previously sold at Rs. 5.06, is now priced at Rs. 7.08. The price of a 375mg Amoxicillin and Clavulanic Acid tablet has been increased to Rs. 83.71. The Gazette notification states that the revised price of a 50mcg Thyroxine tablet is Rs. 14.41. The prices of these medicinal drugs which are among the most commonly used in the country were revised by almost 30 percent in March this year.