Number of patients killed after Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) medicines’ reaction has jumped to 74.
Prof Dr Javed Akram, head of investigation team probing deaths caused by drugs, said death toll could cross alarming figure of 150 to 200.
He said probe team asked pharmaceutical companies about record of medicines. He said some 24,000 to 25,000 patients have taken those substandard drugs from different government hospitals, including Pakistan Institute of Cardiology, in Lahore. He said the factory providing substandard medicines should be sealed.
Dr Akram said many of the patients admitted to hospitals in Lahore due to the usage of these medicines were in critical condition. It is worthy to mention that preliminary inquiry had cleared the Punjab Institute of Cardiology of negligence while the tragedy was yet unfolding.
The Outdoor Patients Department of the Punjab Institute of Cardiology provides free medicine to the needy patients, but after using these medicines, a number of patients from various localities started pouring into city’s hospitals with complaints of bleeding from nose, ears and other body parts.
Punjab government on Monday sealed a factory providing medicines to the Punjab Institute of Cardiology.
According to the report of drug testing laboratory, Mega factory’s medicine naming ‘Cardiowason’ was found substandard because at the time of purchase medicine was perfectly alright but spots has been started appearing with the passage of time.
Cardiowason was given to cardiac patients for lowering the cholesterol in the body. The authorities have sealed a part of the pharmaceutical company.