Pharma industry told to ensure barcodes printing on packaging

ISLAMABAD: The Policy Board of the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) in a bid to curb the manufacturing, smuggling and sale of fake medicines in the country has directed the pharmaceutical industry to ensure the printing of barcodes on the packing on all the local and imported drugs within one month.

The 51st DRAP Policy Board meeting was held here on Thursday under the chairmanship of the federal secretary of the Ministry of National Health Services and Regulation. The meeting was attended by expert members of the board, chief executive officer of DRAP and directors of various Divisions of DRAP.

The chairman board expressing serious displeasure over the pharma industry’s failure to implement similar directions passed last year, sought the details from the relevant quarters and directed DRAP to provide an implementation report of barcoding rules.

According to these rules, pharmaceutical manufacturers and importers must print 2D barcoding on the packaging of their products. Putting such measures as 2D barcode matrix for the identification of medicinal products helps in the eradication of spurious and falsified drugs that pose a serious threat to the health of citizens. It was decided in the Board that over the next two weeks printing of barcodes, as per rules, must be ensured.

The DRAP will immediately issue warning letters to all those pharmaceutical companies that have not registered their barcode data with DRAP and are not printing 2D barcodes on the packing of their products, it noted.

This is an important step to stop the entry of spurious and counterfeit drugs into the market that can save thousands of citizens from the harmful effects of such illegal drugs and medicine.

The Policy Board has taken a decisive step towards the provision of quality medicines and eradication of spurious/falsified drugs by directing all pharmaceutical companies to print barcodes on the packaging of all local and imported pharmaceutical and biological drugs for human use within one month.

The Board also directed DRAP to closely monitor compliance and take all the measures including legal actions to ensure compliance. This initiative aligns with global practices and standards, emphasizing the importance of robust supply chain management in the pharmaceutical industry.

The DRAP is committed to ensuring the safety and quality of therapeutic goods in Pakistan and protecting the public from spurious and falsified products.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024