Criminal cases to be registered against owners of two pharmacies selling illegal, counterfeit drugs

The Sindh Quality Control Board (SQCB) has decided to lodge FIRs against two drug sellers and file complaints against 10 medical stores with the special drug court in Sindh for their involvement in illegal, spurious, unregistered and expired medicines in Karachi and rest of the province.

The decision came during a meeting attended by the SQCB chairperson, Special Secretary Public Health Dr. Nasim ul Ghani Sehto.

The meeting decided to continue operations against sellers of illegal drugs and directed drug inspectors to act against pharmacies and outlets that are playing with the lives of people by selling spurious and illegal medicines.

It has been reported that a team of drug inspectors led by Sindh Chief Drug Inspector Syed Adnan Rizvi has raided scores of drug stores in Karachi and other cities of Sindh on tip-offs in recent days and recovered large quantities of illegal, unregistered and counterfeit drugs that were being sold to patients or supplied to other pharmacies in the province.

The SQCB meeting took up all the cases of the discoveries of illegal and spurious drugs individually and decided that criminal cases would be lodged against owners of two pharmacies whose actions were tantamount to playing with the lives of people.

The quality control board also decided to register complaints against 10 drug sellers with the special drug court for violating various provisions of the Drug Act 1976 and selling unregistered and expired medicines. The meeting deferred three cases due to want of evidence and required documents.

Drug inspector suspended

The Sindh Health Department has suspended a drug inspector, Khursheed Sheikh, for allegedly demanding bribe. He was asked to report to the health department.

Officials in the health department said Sheikh, a BPS-17 official, was frequently accused of blackmailing pharmacies and medical stores in Karachi and other cities of Sindh and had been suspended multiple times due to complaints against him.

The suspended officer was recently appointed in District Malir where he demanded buffaloes from owners of several cattle pens in Landhi Cattle Colony and threatened to close down their businesses for using banned injections if they did not meet his demands, the officials said, adding that an inquiry had also been initiated against Sheikh.