ISLAMABAD: The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has issued an advisory directing provincial health departments across Pakistan, Azad Jammu Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan to make necessary measures to ensure that medical practitioners do not prescribe over the counter (OTC) non-essential drugs inclusive of nutritional and nutraceutical products.
The advisory issued by DRAP noted that it has been observed that the medical practitioners are recommending OTC for the patents alongwith essential life saving drugs and hence adding to their financial burden unnecessarily. Therefore, Chief Executive Officers of provincial health departments are hereby directed that they should take all possible measures to ensure that this practice comes to an end forthwith.
The advisory said “Internationally, the food supplements, nutritional and nutraceutical products are being marketed as OTC or non- prescription products. However. It has been noted that in Pakistan the physicians are regularly prescribing these products and forcing the patents to by these products”
Citing reason of issuing the advisory for banning the prescription of OTC, DRAP spokesperson, Akhtar Abbas said “ there is only one purpose of issuing this advisory that doctors should not prescribe OTC with essential drugs for the patents as this kind of practice could add to the financial burden of the patents and their family. Having said this DRAP’s advisory in no form has been issued to ban sale of OTC or harm its industry”.
The industry, which manufacture OTC, however, feels the advisory as a big threat to their business. Its representatives disagree with the DRAP arguments and reasoning banning the physicians to prescribe the nutritional and nutraceuticl products.
Giving his reaction on DRAP’s advisory in question, Neutro Pharma Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Hamid Raza, said DRAP’s advisory is uncalled for and unwarranted and its issued to harm the industry involved in manufacturing of nutritional and nurtaceutical products. He said “ The industry is meeting in a few days to formulate the strategy to counter DRAP’s anti industry step.