Fake medicines everywhere

This refers to the widespread news regarding a large number of medicines being declared substandard by the Punjab lab. Some of the medicines which have been declared substandard in the report are the ones that are commonly used in almost every household. I regularly purchase medicines for my father as he is a cardiac and diabetic patient and the fact that fake and substandard medicines are now abundantly available truly disturbs me. According to the published report, medicines having only 20 percent efficiency are likely to cause more harm than any good to patients. This, for me, is an alarming situation as how I can ensure that the medicines which my father is consuming are authentic and of best quality.

In such circumstances, I came across an ‘Access Programme’ by a Swiss-based pharmaceutical company. Under the programme, the company will provide access to premium quality and authentic medicines for just $1 a month. These medicines are FDA-approved imported medicines, available at affordable rates. I encourage everyone to avail this program and prevent our loved ones from falling prey to substandard and spurious drugs.

Kiran Farooq

Karachi