Drug control board issues alert on 5 fake medicines in Punjab

The Punjab Drug Control Board has issued an alert over the sale of fake and substandard medicines in the province, warning the public about five specific drugs, including cough syrups, pain relief injections, and multivitamins.

Tests revealed that certain batches were counterfeit, while others failed to meet quality standards, prompting the Punjab Health Department to order an immediate recall from medical stores.

The report highlighted that specific multivitamins for bones and calcium were found to be fake. These counterfeit multivitamins, produced by a pharmaceutical company in Islamabad, were being sold in medical stores.

According to the Drug Control Board, a popular cough syrup was found to be substandard and adulterated. Moreover, a pain relief injection was also identified as substandard, with the presence of foreign particles detected in the injection.

The report said that the pain injection was manufactured in Lahore, while the cough syrup was produced in Karachi.

Furthermore, two injections meant for veterinary use were found to be substandard. The quantity of active ingredients in these medicines did not meet the required standards. These veterinary medicines were produced by pharmaceutical companies in Lahore and Karachi.