ISLAMABAD, Oct 26 The Supreme Court was on Monday informed about a number of factors which hindered supply of quality drugs and facilitated the availability of spurious, expired and substandard drugs.

A report, signed by Health Secretary Khushnood Akhtar Lashari, submitted before the court said that lack of improvements in drug testing laboratories, non-availability of vehicle for inspection, mushroom growth of medical stores, improper storage and without prescription sale of drugs are major hurdles in supply of quality drugs.

The Supreme Court was hearing a suo motu case against availability of spurious drugs in the country. The case will again be taken up after three weeks.

The report said a meeting of the Drugs Policy Board had been called for November 5 to discuss the issues of higher prices of drugs. Besides the federal health ministry, provincial health departments have intensified campaign against spurious, expired and substandard drugs.

At the last hearing, the Supreme Court had sought comments from the provincial health secretaries and Chief Commissioner Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) on the recommendations of the federal health ministry to check supply of spurious drugs in the market.

Both the federal as well as provincial health departments took the issue seriously and made efforts to combat the menace of spurious and grossly substandard drugs and develop a strong base for ensuring availability of safe, effective and quality drugs at cheaper rates.

The report said three inter-provincial meetings were held on August 13, September 13, and September 30 under the chairmanship of the secretary health in which comprehensive action plan was evolved.

Issues relating to gross inadequacy of technical manpower, absence of proper career planning, non-availability of vehicle for inspection, poor drugs testing laboratories, mushroom growth of medical stores, improper storage of the drugs, sale of drugs without the prescription of the registered medical practitioner and lack of monitoring and evaluation system for the performance of inspectorate, drugs testing laboratories and general quality control situation were identified as major hindrances in supply of safe, effective and quality drugs.

Drugs Controller (Quality Assurance) Mr Rauf Khalid, the report said, was given the task to hold meetings with the representatives of the provincial governments, law and justice division, FIA and other law enforcement agencies to sensitise them about effects of the spurious and substandard drugs.

From January to September this year, 53,584 inspections were conducted while 47,934 samples were tested whereas 879 cases of expired drugs were registered, the report said adding during the same period 1,941 medical stores were sealed all over the country. Manufacturing licences of two units were cancelled while three licences were suspended.

For the first time in Pakistan, the report said, samples were collected from the Lady Health Worker's Programmes of which thirty out of forty batches (seventy million tablets approximately) of Paracetamol tablets were declared substandard by the central drugs labaoratory.

The report, however, said the supplier of the medicine challenged the action before the now defunct Islamabad High Court which according to the report gave the petitioner relief which was not even sought by the petitioner.

However the entire process of procurement of medicine is being reviewed, the report said.

A similar action was also taken against Messers Pharmax Pakistan within Pims hospital after recovering a spurious drug from the chemist.

It said a new surveillance laboratory costing Rs156 million is being set up at Islamabad while a new National Control Laboratory (Biologicals) for testing vaccines is also being established at a cost of Rs238 million.