LAHORE: Medical stores and pharmacies across the province will remain shut from Monday (today) till the government withdraws the amendments to the Drug Act 1976.

A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting attended by representatives of 13 associations of pharmaceutical companies, distributors, wholesalers, pharmacists, chain pharmacies, homeo, tib, unani and herbal medicine makers, dealers and retailers besides Pakistan Young Pharmacist Association and Pakistan Drug Lawyers Forum here on Sunday.

However, Minister for Primary and Secondary Health Khawaja Imran Nazir said at a news conference he “held successful talks with the Pakistan Chemist Retailers Association which announced disassociation from the strike call by some elements.”

Pharma firms want amendments to Drug Act 1976

Pakistan Drug Lawyers Forum president Dr Noor Muhammad Mahar said after the meeting that pharmacists were highly qualified professionals and parliament must do legislation under which offences must be brought to the Pharmacy Council, the statutory body, under the Pharmacy Act 1967 instead of directly lodging FIRs against them.

Pakistan Young Pharmacist Association general-secretary Dr Haroon Yousaf said that Pakistan’s pharmacists were readily accepted world over and if derogatory laws against them were enforced the entire pharmacist community would migrate to the US, Canada, Australia and Europe.

Khwaja Nazir told reporters that nobody would be allowed to manufacture or sell substandard and spurious drugs in Punjab.

He said that strict action would be taken against such elements that put human lives in danger.

The minister said he held talks with a large delegation of the Pakistan Chemist Retailers Association, headed by its chairman Ishaq Mayo at the Directorate-General Health Services.

The minister constituted an 11-member committee, headed by the additional secretary, drug control, to submit recommendations for resolving the issues related to the Pakistan Chemist Retailers Association within a week.

Mr Mayo said that his association fully supported the government policy to regulate herbal and homeopathic medicines.

He said that his association would also back government decision to take action against such medical stores and chemists who sold life-saving medicines to addicts who used it as tranquilizers.

He demanded that dispensers’ licenses should not be cancelled and instead of sealing the medical store on minor negligence or mistake the action should be taken according to nature of the negligence or violation.

He also expressed reservations over the schedule “G” of the Drug Act.

Published in Dawn February 13th, 2017