ISLAMABAD: The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has launched a new portal to provide relief to patients dependent on imported medicines, ARY News reported.
The portal, accessible through DRAP’s website, offers detailed guidance on importing medicines and medical devices, aiming to simplify the process for both patients and hospitals. Provincial governments have also been provided with the portal link, enabling institutions and individuals to independently import essential medical products under the Medical Device Rules, 2017.
DRAP officials stated that the portal provides step-by-step instructions for legal imports, ensuring compliance with all regulatory procedures. Once approved, hospitals and patients can import the required medicines and devices without legal hurdles.
This initiative is expected to curb the reliance on smuggled and unverified medical products, which often lack quality assurance and pose risks to patient safety. Recently, counterfeit Avastin injection shipments were intercepted in various cities, with Roche Pakistan confirming the batches as fake. Annually, millions of rupees worth of smuggled medicines and surgical instruments for critical treatments, including liver, heart, kidney, and cancer, enter the country illegally.
The portal aims to promote legal imports, ensuring access to authentic and effective medical products.
Related: DRAP bans certain diabetes and life-saving medicines.
Earlier, on December 3, 2024, DRAP banned eight batches of counterfeit and substandard medicines used for diabetes and life-saving treatments, citing quality and efficacy concerns. A crackdown across Punjab, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa led to the seizure of these medicines.
The Central Drug Testing Lab in Karachi declared the following batches as substandard:
- Diabetes Tablet: Amplemet XR (Batch 39224)
- Antibiotic Injection: Esanix (Batch IA702)
- Drip Solution: Zesol Drip (Batch 2408207)
- Sterile Water for Injection: (Batch WI893)
- Bacterial Infection Medicine: Flagenis Suspension (Batch 0362)
- Anti-Allergy Syrup: Desora Syrup (Batch S23236)
- Vitamin B12 Infusions: Cyanoco Infusion (Batch 6609) and Cyanoco Super (Batch 6403).
The banned medicines were produced by manufacturers in Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad, and Haripur. Investigations revealed that these drugs posed significant risks due to their unclear efficacy and quality.
