Pakistan ‘to allow’ local production of ED drug after years of resistance

ISLAMABAD: After resisting the local production of sildenafil citrate -- a drug for erectile dysfunction (ED) -- for years, the policy board of Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has finally decided in principle to allow local and multinational companies to manufacture the drug locally, officials confirmed to The News on Monday.

The Policy Board of DRAP in its 151st meeting last month decided in principle to grant registration to pharmaceutical companies, which want to manufacture sildenafil citrate, which is commonly known as Viagra around the world, an official of the DRAP said.

The DRAP official, who requested anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to media, said the DRAP Policy Board meeting was presided over by the former federal health secretary Iftikhar Shallwani and attended by the representatives from all the provinces, industry and DRAP officials discussed the issue in detail and after lengthy discussion, finally decided to allow the registration of Sildenafil citrate brands in Pakistan.

The official said the DRAP had already approved registration of sildenafil citrate in syrup form for the children who are suffering from pulmonary hypertension. At the moment, sildenafil citrate is an illegal drug in Pakistan but despite a ban on its production and sale, it is estimated that over 1 million tablets of the drug are sold illegally in Pakistan, which are mostly smuggled from India, China, Thailand, Turkey, Egypt, England, United States and other countries of the world.

Commonly known as Viagra, its different brands are the most running items at pharmacies in the country. In many cases, no case is registered against the store owners if only Viagra or its different brands are recovered, the DRAP official claimed.