ISLAMABAD:The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has decided to issue warning letters to pharmaceutical companies for violation of rules of printing barcodes on the packing of their products.
According to officials of the National Health Services, the ministry has asked for a report on the implementation of barcoding rules. As per these rules, pharmaceutical manufacturers and importers must print 2-D barcoding on the packaging of their products.
Putting such measures as a 2-D barcode matrix for the identification of medicinal products help in the eradication of spurious and falsified drugs that pose a serious threat to the health of citizens, they added.
It was decided that over the next two weeks printing of barcodes, as per rules, must be ensured. DRAP will immediately issue warning letters to all those pharmaceutical companies that have not registered their barcode data with DRAP and are not printing 2-D barcodes on the packing of their products, they said.
According to them, this is an important step to stop the entry of spurious and counterfeit drugs into the market which can save hundreds of citizens from the harmful effects of such illegal medicines.