ISLAMABAD, Nov 20: Medicines containing "Rofecoxib", which the government had banned for serious side-effects leading to heart diseases, are still available in the market.

Though the medicines are hard to find in the upmarket areas of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, these could be purchased easily in major populous localities like Muslim Town, Sadiqabad, Gulzar-i-Quaid, Sir Syed Chowk, a survey conducted by the Network for Consumer Protection said.

"Availability of these medicines will be smoothened further after two months," a druggist told the surveyor on condition of anonymity.

On October 14, the Drugs Registration Board (DRB) had cancelled the registration of all the drugs containing Rofecoxib under the Drugs Act 1976 after reviewing reports of increased risk of cardiovascular events and worldwide withdrawal of such medicines by the manufacturer.

Giant multinational Merck & Company on September 30 had announced a voluntary worldwide withdrawal of its largest selling product vioxx (generic name: rofecoxib) after evidence of increased risk of confirmed cardiovascular events, such as heart attack and stroke.

The DRB had also expressed the hope that manufacturers, importers, distributors, wholesalers and retailers would cooperate with it by ensuring effective recall of the drug from the market and shelves.

Ayaz Kiani, in-charge of the Network's pharmaceutical project Network told Dawn that the availability of such medicines in the market contravened Section 30 (10-a) of the Drugs Rules 1976.

According to the law, "If a drug at any time for safety reasons is withdrawn or banned or certain restrictions are imposed in the US, European Union countries, Canada, Japan and Australia, it shall be the responsibility of the manufacturer in Pakistan to immediately withdraw the drug from the market and to inform the registration board within fourteen days of such an information having come to his knowledge and having taken the necessary action.

"The board after getting the intimation shall take similar action for the same drug available from other sources within the shortest possible time."

One month has passed since banning of the medicine, but the drugs are still available in the market which shows the apathy on part of the government machinery in implementing its own decision. It seems the effectiveness of the technical arm of the government is way less than what the law suggests, he observed.

Many local companies producing drugs containing rofecoxib did not even bother to recall the medicines from the market, Mr Kiani deplored and demanded the government dispose of the available stocks in accordance with the WHO guidelines by using incinerators. The government should have complete records of stocks in the market after comparing it with the sale figures, he said.

He also emphasized the need for introducing stringent controls in the drugs rules since it was a routine practice that doctors prescribed newly-introduced medicines without local clinical trials. "Any new remedy should be examined critically as the system of our treatment through medicines is killing more people than making them better," he said.