LAHORE : Sept 25 : The Drug Regulatory Authority (DRAP) and Punjab Primary Health Care Department team conducted joint raids at Saira Memorial Hospital and Shaukat Khanum Hospital in Lahore on Monday and took samples of Avastin injections whose use has allegedly affected vision of a large number of the diabetic patients in the Punjab.
The joint raiding team took the sample of Avastin injection from both hospitals to reach to the bottom of the issue . The samples collected from Saira Memorial Hospital Lahore, which has a central stage of the Avastin injection scam. Shaukat Khanum Hospital is also under secreening as its major consumer of Roche company’s Avastin injections.
The sample taken from Saira Memorial Hospital and Shaukat Khanum Hospital have been sent to Testing Laboratory in Lahore for its report. The Punjab government will decide line of action on the basis of the report of Testing Laboratory . Meanwhile ,
the number of affected patients of Avastin injection in Punjab has gone up in thousands. The Punjab government is downplaying the size of the crisis . Sources said the authorities have also stopped AGC , distributor of Roche company for Austin from supply Avastin injection to Shaukat Khanum Hospital. In a related development Sindh government has placed ban on the use of Avastin injection .
A scandal of fake Austin injection is feared to cost vision to hundreds of the people in the Punjab. The real crisis may be much bigger than reported by the concerned authorise of Punjab Health Care Department as actual number of affected patients is unknown.