ISLAMABAD – Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) declared nine cancer drugs fake and illegal, warning that their use could prove life-threatening for patients battling the disease.
Acting on request from Drug Testing Laboratory Karachi, DRAP issued Rapid Alert and imposed an immediate ban on the sale, distribution, and use of the identified medicines across the country.
Laboratory analysis found that the samples failed verification because the raw materials used in the medicines could not be authenticated, leading authorities to classify them as counterfeit and illegal under Section 3 of the Drug Act, 1976.
The affected medicines are used in the treatment of liver, kidney, lung, thyroid, and breast cancers. The counterfeit products were purportedly manufactured by German, Bangladeshi, and Indian companies, raising serious concerns over the integrity of their supply chain.
Officials warned that the quality, safety, and therapeutic effectiveness of these medicines remain unknown, making their use potentially fatal for vulnerable cancer patients.
Officials also directed regulatory enforcement teams and provincial Drug Control Directorates to intensify surveillance across pharmaceutical markets and immediately seize all identified counterfeit and illegal batches.
The authority further instructed distributors, wholesalers, pharmacies, and medical stores to promptly report the presence of these medicines and cooperate with enforcement agencies to prevent further circulation.
The latest alert underscores growing concerns over the infiltration of counterfeit medicines into Pakistan’s healthcare system and highlights the urgent need for stricter monitoring to protect patients whose lives depend on genuine, quality-assured cancer treatments.
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