KUALA LUMPUR, August 28 — Eight applicants in a judicial review bid against mandatory drug price display are discussing with the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) for a mutual agreement to stay enforcement of the mandate.
Lawyer Abraham Au – who is representing seven medical and dental groups, and an individual general practitioner (GP) in the lawsuit – gave the update following case management in the High Court here earlier today.
“We are in the midst of discussion with the AGC to mutually agree to a stay of enforcement of the mandatory price list order and crystallising our grounds for challenge. Details are being sorted out,” Au told CodeBlue when contacted.
He also said the BKKK1 court has directed for another case against the drug price display mandate filed by the Private Medical Practitioners Association of Selangor and Kuala Lumpur (PMPASKL) and Medipulse Healthcare Sdn Bhd before it to be transferred to the BKKK3 court that is hearing the case by the eight applicants, since this lawsuit was filed first.
Case management has been fixed on September 19, pending resolution of these matters.
In an affidavit, Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad informed the court hearing the lawsuit by PMPASKL and Medipulse last Tuesday that enforcement of the drug price display mandate has been deferred to January 1, 2026.
Both applicants had sought an urgent stay of the drug price display mandate, believing that enforcement would begin on October 1 after Dzulkefly announced earlier this month that compounds under the order would take effect then.
Dzulkefly’s affidavit has now clarified that both price display enforcement and compounds have been postponed to next year.
The price marking order gazetted by Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Armizan Mohd Ali under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011 (Act 723) requires private health care facilities and community pharmacies to display retail medicine prices.
The eight judicial review applicants include the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA), the Federation of Private Medical Practitioners Associations Malaysia (FPMPAM), the Organisation of Malaysian Muslim Doctors (Perdim), and the Malaysian Private Dental Practitioners’ Association (MPDPA), among others.
