TIP Slams DRAP for Failing to Regulate Alternative Medicines Despite Court Orders

Transparency International Pakistan (TIP) has raised concerns over the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan’s (DRAP) inability to properly oversee alternative medicines, nutraceuticals, and food supplements despite court directives. Referring to the Balochistan High Court’s June 27, 2024, ruling, TIP noted the court ordered DRAP and the Ministry of National Health Services to establish a registration, licensing, and price control system within three months, with a compliance report due by July 22, 2024. The court stressed that only permanent licenses, not provisional enlistments, would ensure consumer safety and fair pricing, warning that non-compliance would amount to contempt. TIP highlighted that nearly 70,000 products are sold without efficacy testing, safety checks, or GMP inspections, while 80–90% of manufacturers lack proper labs and qualified staff. The absence of analytical procedures, it noted, is frequently linked to counterfeit and substandard drug production. Over 30,000 enlistment applications remain pending with DRAP’s Directorate of Health & OTC since the enactment of the DRAP Act 2012. The organization urged the government to suspend new enlistments, conduct nationwide GMP inspections within six months, and initiate the registration process without delay, warning that continued inaction poses a serious threat to public health. “The safety of citizens is at risk, and failure to comply with court directives will not only amount to contempt but could also result in irreparable damage to public health,” TIP cautioned.