LAHORE, June 6: The Wholesale Chemists and Druggists Association on Friday kept their medical stores closed to protest against the raid by the health department.

A health department team, led by Punjab health minister Dr Tahir Ali Javed and health secretary Hasan Waseem Afzal, had paid surprise visits to different medical stores in the city and sealed seven on charges of selling expired, defaced and stolen medicines and running stores without qualified pharmacists.

However, the Lahore Chemists and Druggists Association protested against the raid, which was aimed at checking the sale of substandard and spurious medicines.

Meanwhile, the Pharmax Pakistan has welcomed and appreciated the steps taken by the Punjab health minister and health secretary to curb the sale of sub-standard and spurious medicines.

The Pharmax management, which is running a chain of drug stores in the province, said that it would fully support the health department in implementing the Drugs Act and drug rules. “It is a revolutionary step that the health minister and health secretary personally visited the chemists shops and issued orders to seal medical stores violating the Drugs Act.”