Punjab govt bans sale of eight medicines over quality concerns

LAHORE: The Punjab Directorate of Drug Control Authority has imposed an immediate ban on the sale and use of specific batches of eight medicines of various companies across the province.

According to an alert issued by the Punjab Drug Control Authority, these medicines do not meet the prescribed quality standards.

It said that during testing, some medicines failed the potency test, while others were found to be substandard, adulterated or being sold in the market with incorrect labeling in violation of regulations.

The authority has also ordered that these medicines be withdrawn from the market.

Complete details of the affected batches have been provided in the alert so pharmacies and medical stores can be informed in time.

The medicines whose sale has been banned are Omni Wise 2% eye drops (5 ml), Cetafen tablet 10 mg, Cenex tablet 10 mg, Isobaj injection 10 ml, New Cobal injection, Mega Dep tablet 5 mg, Kamidex injection 1 ml and Ascard 75 enteric-coated tablet.

The Punjab Drug Control Authority has directed all medical stores, pharmacies and distributors to immediately stop selling these medicines and return the existing stock to the relevant authorities.

The authority has also appealed to the public to avoid using these medicines, stating that substandard medicines can be dangerous to health.

Any suspected medicine should be reported to the nearest drug inspector or relevant department, the alert said.