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100 drug import applications rejected

ISLAMABAD: The Drug Registration Board of the Health Ministry on Thursday rejected 100 drug import applications and asserted to curb the import of fancy drugs and unnecessary vitamins.

Director General Health Lt. Gen. Ahsan Ahmed (Retd) told APP that drug board's decision to decline import licences to 100 drugs was aimed at encouraging drug manufacturing in Pakistan besides saving of millions of dollars in foreign exchange.

He said a total 117 importers had applied for grant of import licence of different drugs including those which are manufactured locally. He said only 17 licences were approved which are of essential drugs.

He said the board also cancelled manufacturing licences of six pharma companies on the grounds that they were producing spurious and substandard drugs and not adhering to good manufacturing practice.

He said local pharma companies 'Azad', 'Uni Pharma', 'United Drugs', manufacturing licences were cancelled as their products were substandard and not up to the mark of good manufacturing practice.

He said three manufacturing licences of local companies including 'Cessna', 'Al-Amir' and 'B. Braun' were cancelled as these companies had stopped production but other vested interests were using their licences for manufacturing spurious drugs.

The board has also banned manufacturing of multiple use of vaccine vails. He maintained the manufacturers were asked to start manufacturing of single dose vail's of different vaccines including typhoid, pencillin, septamicyne and dozen others such vaccines to check the spread of hepatitis.

The board also decided to check substandard manufacturing of syringes by unregistered companies. He said some companies are unregistered in Pakistan but were manufacturing syringes which are dangerous and may cause hepatitis and other diseases.

The board has asked these companies to get registered and follow the standard and procedures set by ministry according to WHO instructions by June 1, 2000.

The DG health maintained that some multinational companies were issued licences of different drugs for manufacturing but instead of producing them locally they are importing these drugs under import licences which was consuming country's precious foreign exchange.

He said the board has decided to cancel these licences and manufacturers have been asked either to manufacture these drugs locally or face cancellation.

About shortage of different life saving drugs, he said 'Thyroxin' by Glaxo is missing from Pakistan but the board has granted licences to a local company Platinum which is now available in the market.

He said local, pharma company was also allowed to manufacture a life saving injection 'Penidure' for rheumatic fever. He said the same injection which is manufactured by a multinational company was missing from the market.

He said cardiac patients are facing difficulties due to disappearance of 'angicid' but to counter the situation the board had allowed local company Warrick to produce its alternative which will be available in the market within two weeks. APP