KARACHI, Nov 6: Multinational pharmaceutical companies offer a different view of the quantum of local drugs’ smuggling from Pakistan and one of the foreign companies’ executive estimates smuggling close to $150 million per annum.

The Pakistan-made drugs are finding their way to African countries, like Nigeria, Sudan, Tanzania, Bangladesh, Thailand, Nepal, the Phillipines, Egypt, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka.

The main reason of smuggling to these countries is extremely low prices of drugs in Pakistan and also poor regulatory controls, said Sanofi Aventis Pakistan Managing Director Tariq Wajid.

In the recent past, he said he had heard at least 10 cases and the most recent was 1,500 kgs of drugs destined for Nigeria, and seized in Belgium. The consignment included Avomine (anti-emetic), Nivaquin (anti-malarial), Thyroxin (for Thyroid disease), Ventolin (Asthma inhaler), and many other life-saving medicines. One consignment of spurious Plavix (anti-platelet) destined for Europe was seized in Pakistan.

He was of the view that only big companies’ medicines are going out through illegal channels because brand names are the same in most of the countries and are known globally.

Tariq said it is difficult to quantify the quantity of smuggled medicines in terms of their share relating to various diseases.

He, however, said anti-malaria, anti-asthma, pain-killers, anti- histamines, cardio-vascular plus antibiotics hold a significant share in smuggling.

He said it is true that both standard and substandard medicines are being smuggled because these are sent through improper documentation, and even counterfeit, spurious and substandard drugs are also mixed.

He said there was a need for stringent controls and changes in the law for export to include NOC from the company whose drugs are being exported.

Executive Director Pharma Bureau Riaz Hussain said it was really difficult to quantify because this sort of smuggling being illegal is not documented anywhere.

He added that according to WHO, the estimate is 20 per cent worldwide but in Pakistan it could be even higher.

He said that the drugs are even smuggled to India and Maldives also besides other African destinations while the counterfeit/spurious drugs are smuggled mainly to Europe and the UK. These low price medicines are sold at higher rates in these countries.

He was of the view that smuggling is slightly creating shortage of drugs and leading to black-marketing and patients have to buy these medicines at five to 10 per cent higher prices than the official rate.

To control smuggling, there is a need for a private-public partnership that has the support of all the major stakeholders including, provincial as well as federal drug control authorities, law-enforcement agencies (FIA, Police) that can work like a Rapid Response Team in conducting raids based on solid intelligence.

He said these smugglers and counterfeiters move fast and can re-locate/ disappear as soon as they get a sniff of the raiding party.

Then these people should be prosecuted as per law and the case should be so airtight that they cannot escape punishment.