LAHORE, April 21: Chemists have warned the new government that they will resume their protest if what they called “controversial” Drug Rules, 2007, are not withdrawn.

Punjab Chemists Association President Nisar Chaudhry told Dawn that chemists had postponed their protest on the assurance of a Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz MPA that his government would withdraw the rules after coming into power.

He said the previous government had introduced the new drug rules without consulting the stakeholders, particularly the chemists, and were primarily aimed at protecting the interest of ‘multinationals’, which were running a chain of pharmaceutical outlets in the province.

“The 2007 rules' most objectionable clause is Section-G that bars the medical stores, whose number is over 50,000 in Punjab, from selling a good number of essential drugs and reduction in the renewal period of licence for opening a medical store from two to one year”.

He said that Drug Rules of 1988 were far more comprehensive and chemists-friendly. Under the new rules, the availability of essential medicines to the common man would be very difficult as there was no way that local pharmaceutical companies could compete with the multinationals. “Local companies can’t survive even if they establish their own distribution network,” Chaudhry added.

On the other hand, a health department official said that the new rules had been implemented after ‘long deliberations’ and they were ‘not protecting’ the interest of ‘multinationals’. He said the renewal of licences date had already extended by June and if the chemists had any specific objection on some clauses of the rules, they could meet the health authorities.

He maintained that the implementation of the rules would help reduce quackery besides enabling the pharmacies to well preserve the life saving drugs as the medical stores lacked the capacity.