Deaths from fake drugs rise to at least 104

KARACHI: The number of deaths from spurious drugs has risen to 104 at the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) it was reported by the media on Friday.

According to the media, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said his team was investigating the unfortunate incident at the PIC.

It was also learnt that the government has sent samples of the drugs to Belgium, France, Britain and US for analysis in more sophisticated labs.

However, it may be mentioned that the provincial health department confirmed only 72 deaths.

Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PPMA) on Friday demanded that a high level committee be constituted to probe the tragic deaths.

Over 100 Pakistani heart patients have died from faulty medicines manufactured locally and dozens more are in a critical condition in hospital, government officials said. The victims were mostly hard-up patients who received free drugs from the state run PIC. The government said another 287 people affected by faulty medicine had been admitted to hospitals in Lahore.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2012