People asked to report spurious medicines

Islamabad: The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has urged the people to file complaints against the spurious, unregistered and substandard medicines with it for a prompt, effective crackdown.

In a public notice, the drug regulator said the people should cooperate with it and provincial and regional health departments to eliminate spurious, unregistered and substandard medicines in their respective areas.

It said if the people knew about the people, pharmacies, drug stores, distributors and manufacturers involved in the making, marketing or sale of spurious, unregistered and sub-standard medicines, then they should consider it to be their national obligation to inform the relevant authorities about them without delay for strict action.

The DRAP said the complaint forms in that respect had been uploaded on its official website. It said the identity of the people sharing such information with it would be kept secret. The DRAP said the owners of the printing presses had also been asked not to print any material other than registered products of licensed manufacturers and importers.

It said a complaint cell and a central database centre would be established in the DRAP, while the law-enforcement agencies would also be involved for a crackdown on such outlaws as and when required.