Lahore: April 24,2024: Judge Nadeem Babar Khan of drug court Rawalpindi issued a detailed decision and awarded jail terms and fine to senior officials of GSK , Pakistan in substandard drug case.
According to the drug test report, Drug Co-Trimoxazole brand name Septran an antibiotic, is to treat a variety of bacterial infections such as pneumonia, bronchus, urinary tract, ear and stomach infections. According to the report, the tablets of medicine were declared sub-standard because their dissolution (solubility) disintegration is less than a few seconds as pharmacopeia standards, the Active materials Generic Co-Trimoxazole is present in 100% standard. As a specialist expert Noor Mahar pharmacist and pharma advocate said he understands that there are no harmful affects on the patient’s health due to the dissolution solubility of this medicine, but this case has not been done well, the punishment given by the court is non-standard and gives rise to many questions. Noor Mahar added that in this case the technical court– PQCB –has abused its powers. Secretary PQCB is the most important responsible for the case and the pharmacist production and quality control charge and others are unethical.
The product Septran (Co-Trimoxazole) tablets are manufactured by GSK private limited Karachi, Which is Pakistan’s largest multinational company, GSK is globally included in world’s top 3 pharma, the company’s most basic role in reaching patients with the highest quality medicines in Pakistan, its pharma standards and global standards are equal,
According to a detailed decision by rawalpindi drug court chairman judge nadeem babar khan,
The chairman of the Rawalpindi drug court on Pakistan’s largest pharma GSK’s product declared sub-standard tablet septran (Co-Trimoxazole) only the 1 batch No. HSDBD. The GSK production manager Saqib Azmat was sentenced to 0.5 million fines and two years prison under section 23 of the Drug Act 1976. The Quality control manager Khurram Rafiq was transferred to the immediate Adiala jail Rawalpindi for a fine of 0.5 million and two years prison.
The court sentenced distributer Warnter Haroon-ur-Rashid to a fine of 100 thousand and to stand till the rising of the court.
The Court GSK MD, CEO Irum Shakir to sentenced to one lakh fine and standing till the rising of the court. The expert pharmacist advocate Noor Mahar President Pakistan pharmacist legal forum further says that
In this case, a large multinational company has apparently been punished, but the facts behind are that after the end of the price de-control system of medicines in Pakistan, such an important decision is to eliminate the system Drug Law’s of medicines in Pakistan, in the case of sub-standard product septran Co-Trimoxazole there will be fear in Pakistan, but the Medicines will be expensive in Pakistan and the legislation and sentences of Pakistan medicines will end very soon, the main reason for this court will be declared this court and punishing a large company in Pakistan will only be imposed on heavy fines like the United States in Pakistan and in which the production cast will increase and the medicines will become more expensive.
The Noor Mahar pharmacist further demand
The federal government and the punjab government should establish a research commission in the context of this decision and President Pakistan should announce special tribunal if there is no justice with the pharmaceutical industry in Pakistan and with Pharmacist community.
The multinational companies in Pakistan will leave Pakistan and move abroad, which will have a devastating loss of Pakistan’s economy, Mr Mahar concluded.
