20000109

Drugs quality

control checking

to be ensured

thru agencies

ISLAMABAD: The Central Licensing and Registration Board of the Ministry of Health has decided that quality control checking of drugs in the country will be ensured through enforcement agencies of the federal and provincial governments.

The decision was taken in 150th meeting of the board held here with Maj Gen Ahsan Ahmad (Retd), Director General, Health, in the chair.

The board also decided that the cut-off dates for the sale of multi-dose vials shall be May 1, 2000, and for disposable syringes June 1, 2000, after which the sale of these drugs shall not be allowed at all.

The license of two drug manufacturing companies were also cancelled. This brings the number of pharmaceutical firms whose manufacturing licenses have been cancelled in last four weeks to six.

Boad also considered 117 applications for import of various drugs but approved only 17, the press release said.

This was done under the policy of the board to restrict import of medicines to bare minimum in order to save foreign exchange and give incentives to local manufacturers.

Board also gave permission to a local firm to start manufacturing of injection Penidure LA "essential drug which has been in short supply for many weeks".ÑAPP