The initial probe conducted by Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) doctors’ teams discovered that the Cardio Vestin drug manufactured by Mega Pharma was the only common drug used by all patients experiencing the strange symptoms, Pakistan Today has learnt.
Sources privy to initial probe revealed PIC Professor Dr Azhar had tasked Dr Saqib to visit Services Hospital and examine patients who had developed symptoms which medical experts had speculated were due to dengue in the first week of January. However, the probe examined around 40 patients on the first day and discovered neither had dengue fever. Following this, Dr Azhar created three different teams, including one senior doctor and two junior doctors to Mayo Hosptial, Services Hospital and Jinnah Hospital to collect data and drug samples on a large scale. The data of almost 200 patients admitted with the symptoms from different hospitals was collected while drug samples from 150 patients were analysed to identify the cause of the illness.
A doctor, who was part of the investigation team, on anonymity, said that Cardio Vestin manufactured by Mega Pharma was the only drug used by all affected patients examined by the team of doctors. “Initially we thought it was Alphagrill tablet, but it was ruled out on the first day because not all patients were taking the drug. Soloprin was ruled out since dengue patients cannot not use it since it thins blood just like Disprin,” the doctor added. He further said Dr Azhar had sent the drug samples to drug testing laboratories abroad on the first day, a move which had been criticised by many quarters, however, later even the government took the same line and sent samples abroad.
The Cardio Vestin drug is also the drug which had developed spots on pills, a fact made public by health parliamentary secretary Dr Saeed Elahi in a media briefings.
The doctor revealed that after the hospital administration and media highlighted the issue, a lot of normal patients were coming to PIC to return their medicine doze. “The samples taken from affected patients have spotted Cardio Vestin pills, while unaffected patients who have come back to return their drugs have unspotted Cardio Vestin drug,” the doctor added.
However, Dr Azhar said the probe by medical experts pointed to five drugs. “Yes, an initial probe was conducted and I sent drug samples abroad but medical experts have pointed to five and not one medicine as possible cause for the illness,” he said.
