Sale of expired drugs

There are several issues associated with medicines in Pakistan. One such is fake and substandard drugs, which is persisting because of insufficient regulatory control and lax quality control at manufacturers’ end. Now a Senate panel has expressed grave concerns over the sale of expired drugs and has asked the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan to ensure that the expiry date is clearly mentioned on medicines. The Chairman of the panel, Senator Dr Ashok Kumar, also instructed the organisation to increase the number of drug inspectors to ensure the quality of medicines. Speaking before the committee, an independent Senator, Dr Asad Ashraf, said, “A large number of expired medicines are sold in Pakistan and the expiry date is deliberately written so unclear that no one can read it. Therefore, DRAP should ensure that the expiry date is mentioned clearly on a pack.” Another senator suggested that a helpline be set up to enable people to lodge complaints about drugs.

Expired medicines can cause even death, so the issue needs to be addressed with all seriousness. The possibility of shopkeepers, with the connivance of officials concerned, selling expired medicines cannot be ruled out. Pakistan continues to face issues of substandard drugs and the sale of expired medicines in the absence of strict enforcement of rules. This has resulted in the loss of many lives in recent years. In 2012, more than 200 patients died at the Punjab Institute of Cardiology Lahore due to the insertion of substandard stents and prescription of fake drugs. The ingestion of a substandard cough syrup caused several deaths. Substandard Interferon injections, which are administered to hepatitis C patients, caused severe complications. In all such cases, no heads rolled and the drug manufacturers were let off with lenient fines. The government should make utmost efforts to eliminate the scourge of spurious medicines and the sale of expired drugs taking into account the primacy of human life. 

Published in The Express Tribune, February 26^th, 2020.

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