LAHORE, April 15: The provincial health department has finally launched an operation to eliminate banned pain-killer Novelgin and other medicines containing metamizole from the market.
The metamizole salt, commonly known as Novelgin, was banned by the Drug Registration Board at its meeting on Feb 23 this year.
However, until recently, neither the Punjab health department had any instructions to withdraw Novelgin and other medicines containing metamizole nor was the Pakistan Chemists Retailers Association ever asked to stop their sale. As a result, Novelgin continued to be sold in the shape of tablets, syrup, injection and drops in the open market without check.
Only last week did the health department issue a circular to inform its field formation that the DRB had cancelled the registration of medicines containing metamizole.
The health department has asked all its drug inspectors to ensure compliance of the decision of the DRB in letter and spirit. It said all the drug inspectors should check the sale outlets and manufacturers to stop the sale of all the drug formulations containing metamizole in their respective jurisdictions.
According to the DRB’s order, “all the manufacturers of drugs containing metamizole shall immediately withdraw the stocks within 14 days.”
It is learnt that there are around 41 brands of the banned drug manufactured and sold by 24 national and multinational companies in the country. The drug was first banned in 1977 by the US Food and Drug Administration for causing a blood cancer-like effect on roughly one out of 30,000 consumers.
Abdus Salaam Mufti, the chief drug inspector, Punjab, has directed all the drug inspectors in the province to complete the survey of markets and send a compliance report to his office by the end of this month.
Provincial Quality Control Board secretary Chaudhry Saeed Anwar told Dawn that the DRB’s decision had also been communicated to the PCRA and the Punjab Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association for halting the sale of de-registered medicines and further manufacturing, respectively.
SPURIOUS MEDICINES: The Punjab health department on Saturday also launched a province-wide campaign against spurious and substandard medicines.
The special inspection to be carried out at provincial and district level will continue for three months. The department has already constituted committees to launch the drive to ensure eradication of spurious and substandard medicines from the market in particular and improvement of drug sale outlets in general for supply of quality medicines to public and health institutions all over the province.
The provincial inspection committee, convened by the Director-General Health Services, Punjab, comprises chief drugs inspector; provincial quality control board secretary; and secretaries of the district quality control board (DQCB) Lahore, Multan, Bahawalpur and Faisalabad. The committee may co-opt any of the EDO (health) and member of a district committee.
It will monitor the performance of district bodies and review the overall situation on a fortnightly basis. It will also visit some selective districts to monitor the working of the district committees and availability of required logistics for proper working.
To create public awareness through media on important issues pertaining to quality of medicines is also the committee’s duty.
The district committees will comprise district officers (health), DQCB secretary and area drugs inspector. It may co-opt any member or assistance from the district administration.
The district committees will inspect all the drug sale outlets and manufacturing units dealing in health products and check the record of qualified persons at drug sale outlets for screening of licenses obtained on fake or duplicate documents, and report to licensing authority for appropriate action.
They will be required to complete the assignment of screening of all outlets within three months and submit the report to the provincial committee indicating the name and addresses of those, who are not complying with the provisions of the Drugs Act 1976 on a fortnightly basis.
The district committees will also check the sale and purchase record of license holders and advise them to keep the record of warranty for purchase of all health products. They will also collect samples of health products suspected to be in contravention of the Drugs Act 1976 and other relevant rules.
The officials will check the allopathic drugs/medicines and product of other systems of medicine for presence of allopathic ingredient in violation of drugs act provisions. It will be ensured that all the advertisements of health products through print and electronic media or by any other means are not in contravention of act provisions.