Spurious drugs worth millions of rupees are flooding Pakistani markets, right under the nose of health authorities that have been unable to stop the illegal business of counterfeit medicines. Spurious drugs, including imported multi-vitamin pills, are available across the country and their distinctive packing with different colours and font styles, as well as their nominal prices make them easily identifiable as counterfeits.
But its not only a waste of money for the consumers, as the medicines are playing with the lives of the people.
An official of the Ministry of Health told Pakistan Today that in absence of effective post-marketing evaluation of imported drugs, a large number of spurious drugs were being sold across the country in the guise of being original. He said, “Take an example of Centram (plain, silver, gold), an imported multi-vitamin pill made in the US for various age groups. A pack of 150 pills is available for Rs 800 to Rs 1,200 rupees in Pakistan. In Canada the price of 50 such pills is $28, equivalent to Rs 2,380.”
“How is it possible that a medicine produced in the US is cheaper in Pakistan?” He also quoted the case of Viagra. One Viagra pill costs $6 to $7 in the US, however, it is available in Pakistan at the wholesale price of Rs 100. “Cylasis costs 13 Canadian dollars, but you can buy one tablet for Rs 150 to Rs 300 in Pakistan,” he said. He said the facts highlighted the performance of the Health Department, as these spurious drugs were being sold under the counter and on prescription, but they remained highly injurious due to the substandard materials used in production.
The official said these counterfeit drugs were manufactured locally using modern machines in the country’s Tribal Areas or smuggled in from China. To a query about the performance of the Drugs Registration Board, he said, “In a meeting last year, the registration board had given approval to 4,000 drugs in a single go. How is it possible to evaluate 4,000 medicines in a two to three-hour meeting,” he said.
A few months ago, MNA Dr Azhra Fazal had raised the issue of a muscle relaxant, FA Tareen, in a meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Health. FA Tareen is a locally-produced relaxant used for sexual enhancement, but its extensive use can be life threatening. Azra had told the committee that the quota of this medicine should be given in grams, but former health minister Makhdoom Shahabuddin had given the quota of the chemicals used for the medicine in kilogrammes.
