PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will introduce five advanced mobile drug screening laboratories next week to strengthen the monitoring of medicines and detect substandard, counterfeit and suspicious drugs in markets across the province.

Adviser to the governor on health and population Nigar Johar Khan reviewed the newly equipped laboratory vans during her visit to the Directorate General of Drug Control and Pharmacy Services on Friday.

The five mobile laboratories will be formally inaugurated at Governor House next Tuesday. During the visit, the adviser inspected various sections of the directorate and received a briefing on its regulatory functions, drug quality monitoring and measures to ensure the availability of safe medicines.

Officials said the mobile laboratories were equipped with modern Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Raman technologies to conduct preliminary on-site testing of medicines, including their chemical composition, ingredients and conformity with prescribed strength standards.

The vans will be deployed across different divisions of the province, enabling drug inspectors to examine medicines in markets and other locations.

If the initial screening identifies suspicious or substandard medicines, inspectors will collect samples and send them to the Drug Testing Laboratory in Peshawar for detailed analysis and further action.

Published in Dawn, November 7th, 2026