DRAP drive against spurious and fake drugs begins today

Islamabad :The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan is to launch today (Monday) a three-month campaign against spurious, fake and counterfeit drugs to free the country from the menace.

According to DRAP Chief Executive Dr Muhammad Aslam, this is another series, following an earlier three months similar campaign along with provinces that proved very effective in reducing the Spurious, Fake, Substandard and Counterfeit drugs from the country.

"The last campaign resulted in sealing of hundreds of sales outlets, illegal and non-compliant manufacturing units, arrest of many people, over 1000 FIRs, hundreds of imprisonment and fines over 10 crores, throughout the country, last year. This also resulted in a big deterrent against the involved culprits in this heinous crime against humanity," he said.

The DRAP chief executive said the extended campaign would include drive for improving drug quality through integrated and systematic regulatory compliance for manufacturing facilities cGMP and ensuring effective good distribution practices, Good Pharmacy and Sales Practices.

In this regard, the DRAP teams along with provinces and security agencies will conduct market surveillance throughout the country, through strategic inspections and drug sampling for spurious drugs and will enforce regulatory compliance to higher level.

The DRAP teams will also provide guidance to Industry and pharma trade for improving the quality of manufacturing, distribution, sales and dispensing of therapeutic goods. In this campaign DRAP teams will meet with heads of Customs, FBR, FIA and other law enforcement agencies, for improving coordination for effective and stringent enforcement of regulatory compliance and to resolve various hurdles and challenges in this regard.  The DRAP will also organise media engagement and will coordinate with social reformers and consumer protection NGOs to mobilise them for public education and to campaign for not accepting illegal and unregistered products and do not compromise on quality of drugs while purchasing, ensuring to buy only genuine products from pharmacies, maintaining good pharmacy practices and only registered and legal drugs.

"People need to be educated that they should not respond to illegal advertisements for unregistered products with fake claims. They will be guided and requested to cooperate and inform DRAP for any availability of spurious drugs or its manufacturing that come in their notice or knowledge. The DRAP has already launched 2D barcode and notified it’s regulation for pharma products sales pack, which will be fully enforced from December 2017. This internationally applicable tool will help the people authenticate and track the drugs via cellphone application before purchasing."

The DRAP CEO said the authority was developing further systems and tools as per international best practices for ensuring quality drug access and the eradication of spurious drugs. "These international practices will be gradually announced and implemented, in the larger public interest for safe and rationale use of medicines," he said.