ISLAMABAD: The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap) has said 534 people were imprisoned and fines worth Rs107 million were imposed during the last year for the manufacturing and sale of spurious and substandard drugs, according to Drap chief, Dr Mohammad Aslam.

The Drap chief executive officer said a barcode system will be fully implemented by the end of this year which will allow buyers to check if a medicine is genuine.

Dr Aslam told Dawn the sale of substandard and spurious drugs was a huge problem across the world.

“We have unregistered medicines being manufactured in the country and a large number of medicines are smuggled into Pakistan via various borders. We have been trying to involve all concerned authorities, i.e. the provinces, the Federal Investigation Agency, the Federal Board of Revenue, Customs, security agencies, the police and others,” he said.

Drap CEO says barcode system will be implemented so consumers can determine if medicines are genuine

Dr Aslam said the authority is also trying to raise awareness among the masses through non-government organisations and suggested people buy medicines from well reputed medical stores. He said if people started buying registered medicines only, medical stores will stop selling unregistered and substandard drugs.

“Currently, medical stores pressure buyers into buying unregistered medicines due to the large profit margins,” he said.

Dr Aslam added that improvement has been observed in the urban areas of the country during the last year and a half though the rural areas continue to be a challenge. He said alternative medicines are also proving to be a big challenge or Drap.

Homeopathic, herbal, Chinese and other medicines are called alternative medicines and a number of allopathic medicines are being sold as alternative at almost ten times the price.

“A barcode system will be fully implemented by the end of this year after which the trade of spurious drugs will be completely stopped,” Dr Aslam said.

A global unique identification code system will be introduced under this project. Consumers will be able to verify medicines and their prices via their smart phones. The new system will also make it possible to track the movement of medicines and recall them in case of a complaint.

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of National Health Services, another three month campaign against the sale of spurious and counterfeit drugs will obtain positive results.

“During recently going on campaign over 1000 FIRs were registered. This also resulted in a big deterrent against the involved culprits in this heinous crime against humanity. Drap teams will also provide guidance to industry and pharma trade for improving the quality of manufacturing, distribution, sales and dispensing of therapeutic goods,” the statement reads.

“Media should play its role to be educated that people should not respond to illegal advertisements for unregistered products with fake claims. Public will be guided and requested to cooperate and inform Drap for any availability of spurious drugs or it’s manufacturing that come in their notice or knowledge,” statement says.

Drap was established under the Drap Act 2012 for the enforcement of the Drap Act 1976 to help in effective coordination in inter-provincial trade and commerce of therapeutic goods.

Published in Dawn, August 15th, 2017