The body holding probe into the reaction of substandard cardiac medicines and consequent death of around 27 patients Monday sealed a pharmaceutical factory manufacturing medicines allegedly responsible for the deaths. After initial probe, the health department has advised medical consultants to stop prescribing medicines, namely Cardiovestin (Simvastatin), Alfagril (Clopidogrel), Concort (Amlodipine) and Soloprin (Aspirin). Punjab government had formed a committee to probe the reaction of cardiac medicines and consequent deaths of patients.
The investigation body was probing the factories responsible for the substandard drugs for use by the heart patients and was also in contact with the affected families, sources said. One of the members of the committee said that questioned medicines must also be tried on animals so truth can be revealed in this regard. The team has also asked the pharmaceutical companies about the record of the medicines marketed by them. Separate wards have also been formed in main hospitals of the city for free treatment of alleged victims of the medicines whose efficacy was challenged.
Professor Dr Javed Akram, the head of probe team, said that the medicine might be contaminated with some heavy metal, which gets deposited in bone marrow and ultimately ends body's resistance. He said the committee was investigating the deaths of heart patients, which occurred due to a sudden drop in white blood cells, platelets and bone marrow damage.
Meanwhile, the affected families whose loved ones are being treated in Punjab Institute of Cardiology, also staged a protest demanding action against those drug manufacturers responsible for manufacturing substandard medicines. They demanded that facts unearthed by probe committee should be made public.
On the other hand, sources said Punjab Institute of Cardiology administration has stopped extending free drugs to heart patients after strange symptoms surfaced after using the drug. About 50 patients out of 110 admitted to different hospitals are stated to be in critical condition due to alleged medicine reaction. Since the outbreak of mysterious disease nearly 8,000 registered patients visited the institute during the last four weeks to get free medicines since the drug reaction was noticed. Nearly 45,000 poor patients have been registered at PIC outdoor pharmacy for receiving medicines on a monthly basis, the sources added.
Sources in the PIC said that the administration has taken the decision of stopping medicines supply after patients' complaints of bleeding. A help-line has also been established for heart patients where they could contact and take guidelines on using the medicines. According to them, the suspected medicines had already been withdrawn and samples have been sent for tests. A centralised data collection centre has also been set up to compile information on all heart patients.