Chief Minister Task Force raids at Pan Market,capture locally manufactured foreign branded medicines

Lahore: Chief Minister Task Force for eradication of spurious and substandard medicines conducted a raid at Pan Market, New Anarkali, took fake and locally manufactured foreign branded medicines worth crores of rupees into possession and sealed three godowns.

This was told by Vice Chairman Taskforce on Spurious Drugs Kh. Imran Nazir accompanied by Advisor Health Khawaja Salman Rafique and Secretary Health Jawad Rafiq Malik at a press conference, today. DG Health Dr. Zahid Pervaiz and Drug Inspector Shaukat Wahab were also present on the occasion.

Kh. Imran Nazir told that the taskforce has recovered bogus and poor quality medicines worth more than one billion rupees by conducting raids at Lahore, Faisalabad, Okara, Chiniot and other cities and got registered 95 cases during the last one and a half months. Chief Minister has issued instructions that action should be taken against the factory or firm owner involved in manufacturing fake medicines instead of small employees or labourer, he added.

Kh. Salman Rafiq said that on the orders of Chief Minister, surgical operation has been launched for the elimination of business of fake medicines and two taskforces have been set up in the province. He said that after consultation with law and prosecution departments, legislation is continuing for awarding deterrent punishment to the elements involved in this heinous trade and declaring it a non bailable crime and amended law draft has been prepared.

Secretary Health Jawad Rafiq Malik told the media-men that a separate Drug Regulatory Authority is being set up in Punjab for eliminating the trade of unauthentic, inferior and unregistered drugs and meeting affectively other matters. He said that DTLs are being outsourced for making the results of drug testing laboratories in accordance with international standard for which institutes of international standard are coming forward.

Secretary Health made it clear that if information is received by some other agencies regarding business of substandard medicines in any area and the concerned inspector did not inform on time in this regard, action will also be taken against him. He said that the business of spurious and substandard medicines will be eliminated from the province at every cost.