DRAP to crack down on face mask profiteering

Islamabad:Belatedly though, the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has warned drugstores of crackdown over surgical mask profiteering following coronavirus outbreak in China.

The demand for protective medical gear, especially disposable face masks, has gone up since last December when a new respiratory virus, coronavirus, appeared in the Chinese city of Wuhan. As a result, their prices have soared. Now, the DRAP in a belated move has taken note of the artificial price hike and warned drug stores against making excessive profit on face mark sales. In a public notice, the DRAP chief executive officer said the authority had learned about the sales of surgical gear used to prevent coronavirus, especially N95 masks (respirator), Tyvek suit, goggles and disposable bags, at prices higher than the approved ones, on the market.