When the Lebanese State proves its effectiveness

On March 23, 2018, the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health issued a list of major price reductions for certain drugs. It lowered the cost of some drugs by 18% to 74%. For instance:

• The price of the antibiotic VANCOMYCIN LABATEC (500 mg), has been reduced from LBP 154,535 to LBP 94,839.
•  The price of BUSILVEX (6mg/ml), a preparative treatment before stem cell transplantation, has been reduced from LBP 4,533,365 to LBP 2,942,391.
•  The price of PEGASYS (180mcg/0.5ml), a drug for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B or C, has been reduced from LBP 532,173 to LBP 349,768.
•  The price of PERMIXON (160 mg), a drug for the treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms related to benign prostatic enlargement, has been reduced from LBP 44,986 to LBP 30,930.

So the question is how drug sellers have managed to impose high prices on citizens for so long. The Ministry of Public Health has done a remarkable job of showing how the State can be effective.