Beginning July 1, prices of 67 medicines out of 8,500 Ministry of Health registered pharmaceutical drugs for chronic diseases and other related medicines, will be slashed by between five to sixty per cent, while another 498 drugs will be made available at reduced prices by September 1. Plans are being chalked out to cutback prices of 2,000 generic medicines from Europe, the US, UAE and other Arab countries, and an announcement in this respect will be made soon by the Ministry of Health. Drugs selected for price cut include those that prevent an increase of chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular and other viral diseases. Minister of Health Dr Hanif Hassan Ali Al Qassim signed a ministerial decree with MoH-Medical Practices and Licensing Assistant Undersecretary Dr Amin Al Amiri to bring about the price cuts. In UAE more than 20 per cent of the population suffers from diabetes, asthma, and an equally large number are either over weight and suffer from obesity. After 18 months of intense negotiations between the Ministry of Health and 20 Multinational drug barons, this agreement of price reduction has been made possible.