Islamabad, Jun 3 (IANS): Prices of medicines in Pakistan have increased by a whopping 600 percent as a number of companies have taken advantage of the absence of proper drug regulations, a citizen has said in a plea in a Lahore court.

Lahore citizen Mian Aftaf Ahmed told the court that the high drug prices had put an additional burden on the poor, Dawn News reported.

The price of a cough syrup has increased from Rs.30 to Rs.59 whereas the price of an Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) sachet has gon up from Rs.10 to Rs.27, he said.

In February, President Asif Ali Zardari had promulgated the Drug Regulatory Agency of Pakistan (DRAP) ordinance 2012 for regulation of pharmaceutical companies after the Supreme Court took notice of the deaths of over 100 people due to adverse reactions to medicines in Lahore earlier this year.

However, some companies obtained a stay order from the Lahore High Court and maintained the increased prices.

Ahmed has moved the court to vacate the stay order, Dawn News said.

In his plea to the court, Ahmed said the companies had increased prices by up to 600 percent.

He said the total annual sale of ORS was worth Rs.667 million, and with a 170 percent increase in its price, the drug companies would be adding Rs.1,267 million to their coffers annually.

Faridullah Khan, DRAP chairman, said the organisation was aware of the price issue.