KARACHI, May 19: The Pakistan Medical Association, Karachi, has formulated a set of recommendations and submitted the same to federal health minister to control the business of fake/ counterfeit medicines with the help of stakeholders like Drug Control Bureau and Helpline Trust.

The recommendations were unanimously approved at a single agenda meeting organised by the PMA and Helpline Trust. Among others, the meeting was attended by Deputy Director-General Health, Drug Quality Control Secretary and representatives of Pharma Bureau.

The meeting stressed that the ministry of health should work in coordination with law enforcement agencies for control of counterfeit drugs. It was recommended that all medicines should be sold as per prescription of registered medical practitioners.

It was also suggested that there must be authentic system of monitoring, manufacturing process and credibility of drug makers. Besides, public should be educated regarding identification of counterfeit medicines.

Implementation of existing laws pertaining to manufacturing of drugs; formation of new strict laws to control the counterfeit drugs; documentation of drugs by doctors, manufacturers, retailers and medical stores; and establishment of drug quality testing laboratories were also included in the recommendations.

The meeting called for enforcement of anti-counterfeit techniques (hologenous, colour shifting inks and water marks), ban on advertisement of all products/ drugs related to health in media and evolving a system to ensure that expired and physician sample medicines as well as unlabelled drugs should not be sold. —–PPI