ISLAMABAD, Dec 8: A draft of guidelines and checklists to grant drugstore licenses has been prepared by the provincial and federal health departments to regularise the system.

According to official sources, the guidelines have been made to regularise the sale of drugs and smooth functioning of the industry.

During an inter-provincial meeting of health secretaries Federal Health Secretary Syed Anwar Mahmood asked the provinces to issue drug sale licenses only to registered pharmacists like other countries of the world.

The provinces were also asked to evolve a distance-based strategy for issuance of drug sale licenses. The meeting also reviewed the progress achieved in the campaign against spurious and expired drugs, launched on the direction of the Supreme Court.—APP