Supply of substandard medicine on the rise

Taking notice of substandard medicine being sold at the federal capital’s drug stores, the chief commissioner Islamabad on Thursday directed concerned drug inspectors to prosecute cases against four companies for supplying substandard medicine. The decision to take action against the four companies was taken in the Capital Territory Quality Control Board’s 32nd meeting held on Thursday with Chief Commissioner Islamabad Tariq Mahmood Pirzada in the chair. The meeting was attended by the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Director Head Office Dr M Azhar, Drug Inspector Shafiq Ahmed, Ministry of Health Deputy Drug Controller Dr Amjad Suhail.
“In the meeting it was decided we would prosecute four cases of violations of the Drug Act, 1976 in the Drug Court, The drug Inspector Islamabad has been asked to initiate legal action against the four companies whose medicines were declared substandard,” said a press release. It said that during the meeting Drug Inspector Islamabad Shafiq Ahmed told the participants that during the course of inspection, UN-registered and UN-warranted drugs without sale license were recovered from various medical stores and pharmacies including the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) pharmacy.
The drug inspector told the meeting that a sample of derinate syrup taken from the PIMS pharmacy, was sent to the laboratory for testing, which was later revealed to be substandard. He further told the meeting that a sample of a medicine ‘zeebent’ was also taken from a dispensary for testing and the laboratory’ s report had declared it sub-standard. The Board approved and directed the drug inspector Islamabad to prosecute the said companies under the Drug Act 1976. Woman drug pusher, six outlaws arrested: The city police on Thursday claimed to have nabbed seven outlaws from various areas of the city and recovered a stolen CNG kit, 1.36 kilogrammes hashish, heroin, wine and weapons from their possession.
A police spokesman said that Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Muhammad Arshad from Bhara Kahu police nabbed a thief Nadeem who was involved in stealing CNG vehicle kits and recovered a kit from him. Sub-Inspector Yar Muhammad from Tarnol police arrested a woman Bheraj Bibfor possessing 1.25 kilogrammes of hashish while Sub-Inspector Muhammad Usman from Bhara Kay police nabbed an accused Waseem for having 110 gram hashish.
He said that in another strike, Sub-Inspector Athar Khan from Sabzi Mandi police arrested Qamar and Ali for having a total of 327 grams heroin while ASI Umer Hyat from Nilore police nabbed a bootlegger Zaheer Ahmed for having two wine bottles. ASI Nazir Ahmed from the Secretariat police recovered a 30-bore pistol from an accused Israr. Cases have been registered against these nabbed persons and further investigation is underway.