PESHAWAR: The Drug Control and Pharmacy Services department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has initiated a comprehensive crackdown against the illegal sale, storage, and distribution of alternative medicines across various districts of the province.
The department has acted swiftly in response to reports received from different districts about unlawful practices related to alternative medicines including food supplements, nutraceuticals, Unani, Ayurvedic, homeopathic, and herbal products.
Drug inspectors have been specifically tasked to launch a special campaign in their respective districts. During raids conducted on the 1, 2, and 3 of January 2024, the teams of drug department targeted illegal sale, storage, and distribution of alternative drugs in districts including Abbottabad, Bajaur, Bannu, Bunir, Chitral, DI Khan, Kurram, Mardan, Haripur, Mansehra, Lakki Marwat, Nowshera, Orakzai, Dir Lower, Dir Upper, Swabi, Kohat, Malakand, North Waziristan, Peshawar, Swat, Shangla, Charsadda, and Tank.
A total of 412 medi
cal stores were inspected and 118 suspected samples of alternative medicines were collected on Form-5 during these operations.
Meanwhile, Secretary Health Mahmood Aslam Wazir has underlined the department’s commitment to maintaining zero tolerance for those involved in the illegal sale, storage, and distribution of alternative medicines asserting that these stringent measures will persist to ensure public safety.