A joint lobby of the Health, and Science and Technology Ministry is active in discouraging local manufacturing of patent drugs instead of importing those drugs, said Dr Riazuddin, former Director of Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology (CEMB) here on Monday.
Nearly four years ago, a group of scientists and medical experts led by Professor Riazuddin, and the principal of the Allama Iqbal Medical College (AIMC), Professor Javed Akram, chalked out a programme for producing indigenous proteins and launched the project to rid the country of dependence on imported proteins. Dr Riazuddin, who was leading the project, said that after three years of hard work, the CEMB succeeded in cloning 18 human pharmaceutical protein genes.
"I am still moving from pillar to post to get the final nod to conduct experiments to manufacture these drugs locally, but the approving authorities are creating hurdles", Riazuddin said while talking to Business Recorder.
He said that the proteins cloned by the experts included insulin for diabetics, erythropoietin for use in kidney transplant, interferon injections for four types for hepatitis, interleukin of four types to strengthen the immune system, myosin of three types and connexin of four types to heal bone fracture. The scientists termed it a breakthrough in the field of bio-pharma, he added. CEMB has time and again requested the government to give permission for testing some pharmaceutical protein genes on patients suffering from different diseases, however, Health Secretary assured approval but it was never actually granted, he said.
Dr Riazuddin said low-cost interferon injections were a longstanding demand of the poor hepatitis patients in Pakistan. "If the delay persists, 100,000 interferon injections produced a couple of years ago will expire next month, resulting in waste of research effort and resources," he said.
Sources in the Health Ministry revealed that some Baboos of the Health Ministry have such a strong lobby that Secretary and the Minister are unable to secure approval for manufacturing expensive patent drugs locally. The researchers visited Islamabad a number of times to convince the authorities of the importance of the project but to no avail due to the interference of influential lobby, they added.
However, other officials justified the non-approval by stating that the environment is not conducive to testing drugs which is why CEMB was not allowed to conduct these experiments. It should again be evaluated by experts at the national level, they added. This correspondent tried to contact Health Secretary Khushnood Lashari's but was curtly informed that he is not available.