The Drug Regulatory Authority is trying to "hoodwink the media by circulating a fake list of medicines" in the provinces which have been told to act against pharmaceutical companies, claim industry sources. The drug authority has circulated in the media a letter written by Punjab Deputy Drugs Controller, Abdul Ghaffar telling provincial offices to take action against the companies, but the sources have confirmed that the provincial departments have no iota of knowledge of the letter.
The letter is neither signed by anyone nor any date mentioned. The deputy drug controller's letter also provided a list of drugs, saying the maximum retail prices mentioned in the list had been compared with those of the drugs in suits filed in the Sindh High Court by some multinational companies.
"After a scrutiny of 58 drugs, following drugs were found to be overpriced in the market: mucaine (syrup), incremin (syrup), amoxil (capsules), betnelan (tablets), betnesol (tablets), ventolin (tablets), motival (tablets), polyfax (eye ointment), otosproin (ear drops), lidosporin (ear drops) and mepresser (tablets)," the circular claimed. In his letter, he then tells the provincial governments to act against the companies for contravention of the provisions of the 1976 Drugs Act.