The government has appointed Syed Arshad Ali, Joint Secretary of the Cabinet as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Drug Regulatory Authority (DRA) for a temporary period of three months in order to regulate the registration and manufacturing of drugs according to the Drugs Act of 1976.
Well-placed sources told Business Recorder here on Wednesday that subsequent to the death of around 117 heart patients in Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) there was dire need to establish a body that could regulate and monitor drug related issues. "The sad incidence of PIC compelled all the four provinces to pass a resolution in favour of establishment of a DRA. Therefore, the President Asif Ali Zardari promulgated an ordinance on February 16 to form the DRA", sources added.
"But after the promulgation of the Ordinance, the appointment of a CEO was necessary as per the Drugs Act 1976. Earlier, the government decided not to allow the import or export of medicines until and unless a CEO is appointed as the head of the Authority to regulate the licensing and registration of the drugs under the Act. But this led to an increase in the price of medicines in the domestic market as hoarding of the medicines especially the life saving drugs, vaccines, expensive medicines of cancer and HIV AIDS began", sources revealed.
Sources said that keeping in view the increasing prices of medicines in the local market; the government allowed their import and export and also decided to appoint a CEO as well for a temporary period of three months. The medicine responsible for the deaths in PIC was generating an unknown chemical in the body that was deposited in the bone marrow and resulted in eliminating the body's resistance. That led to an end to the generation of white blood cells in the body as well as a severe chest infection.
Earlier Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers' Association decided not to take any action against Efroz Chemical Industries manufacturing the medicine responsible for the deaths in PIC. Muhammad Asad, Chairman PPMA said while talking exclusively with Business Recorder, "now the Association has decided that if the charges against Efroz Chemical Industries are proved, then membership of the medicine company would be terminated from the Association".
Associations and research bodies have the mandate to check records of their member companies in case of any maladministration or serious crime. Earlier by terming it a 'human error', the PPMA refused to terminate the Efroz Chemical Industries from the Association.