DRAP refutes allegations on ‘missing records’

Officials say records have been computerised

ISLAMABAD: The apex drug regulator on Wednesday refuted allegations that its records were either missing or lost, adding that it had initiated the process of computerising records dating back to 1976.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap) vehemently denied various allegations levelled by the Pakistan Young Pharmacists Association (PYPA) and Pakistan Drug Lawyer Forum (PDLF) in a news conference held on Tuesday. Drap said that such elements were disseminating wrong and misleading information to divert the focus of regulators and investigating agencies from their heinous crimes and to pressurise officials of the body.



The statement further said that the group behind PYPA and PDLF were involved in the manufacture of illegal drugs and corruption. It added that the allegations of embezzlement of records were totally baseless and without any substance. “Drap had recently started computerising decades-old manual registration records and uploaded a provisional database on its official website,” the regulator said.

It added that the database includes information about a drug’s registration number, proprietary or brand name, a generic name with composition, the name of manufacturer or importer. Responding to the claims that the Chief Justice of Pakistan had banned all kinds of hormone injections used to increase the milk production in cattle but Drap had only banned one hormone, the drug regulator pointed out that the order came on a petition filed by Drap.



In fact, the regulator pointed out, the Supreme Court had upheld Drap’s decision on cancelling the registration of recombinant Bovine Somatotropin (rBST) hormones and vacated a stay granted by the Sindh High Court. 

Published in The Express Tribune, January 25^th, 2018.