LAHORE: The alarming increase in cases of vision impairment resulting from substandard injections in the province of Punjab, the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has initiated a comprehensive crackdown against pharmaceutical distributors.
Initially, the reported cases numbered over 40 among diabetes patients in the province, prompting the provincial caretaker government to impose a two-week ban on the sale and use of Avastin for ophthalmological treatments. However, the situation has since escalated, with more than 70 affected patients now identified. In response to these developments, DRAP has issued a nationwide ban on the use of these injections in hospitals, pharmacies, and for patients.
DRAP officials have made a significant revelation, asserting that no hospital, laboratory, or pharmacy in Pakistan possesses a license to repack these injections. Both unregistered and registered injections have been found in the market. The officials strongly advise individuals and healthcare institutions against using imported injections until quality check results are obtained.
In an operation conducted today, DRAP, in collaboration with provincial drug authorities, conducted raids on the offices of medicine distributors, recovering 110 vials of these injections. These vials have been sent to a drug testing laboratory in Lahore for further analysis.
The affected patients include 10 in Multan, one in Bahawalpur, and three in Jhang who are currently receiving treatment at Nishtar Hospital. Additional cases have also been reported in Lahore, Multan, Rahim Yar Khan, Sadiqabad, and Faisalabad. Law enforcement agencies are actively searching for two suspects, Bilal and Naveed, in connection with these cases.
In a notification issued by the interim Punjab government, 11 drug inspectors have been apprehended for their involvement in the sale of injections procured from illegal, unregistered companies. Three drug inspectors from Lahore, two from Bahawalpur and Rahim Yar Khan, and one each from Jhang, Sadiqabad, Kasur, Bahawalnagar, and Khanewal have been suspended as per the notification.
A day earlier, the Punjab government imposed a two-week ban on the sale and usage of Avastin for ophthalmology-related treatments. Punjab's caretaker Chief Minister, Mohsin Naqvi, announced free medical treatment for the patients affected by the substandard eye injections. He pledged immediate and stringent action against drug inspectors responsible for the availability of non-sterile injections, with a pending inquiry. The Chief Minister further stated that a high-powered inquiry team would be established to expedite the investigation, and the police have been instructed to ensure the arrest of individuals found responsible for these incidents.
