PYPA pleads to PM to investigate DRAP top officials for alleged role in de-controlling of drugs

Islamabad : May 7, 2024 : The Pakistan Young Pharmacists Association (PYPA) has held DRAP CEO Asim Rauf led official gang responsible of paving way for de-controlling of life saving drugs in Pakistan and appealed to prime minister , Shahbaz Sharif , to fix this gang for an illegal act to facilitate drug mafias of Pakistan for de-controlling of life saving drugs . PYPA has termed DRAP action of de-controlling life-saving drugs even a bigger scam than wheat import. In its latter addressed to the prime minister , PYPA said DRAP action of facilitating de-controlling of drugs is like killing of 250 million people of Pakistan . The following is the script of PYPA letter . It reads as
Respected Sir Mr. Asim Rauf CEO, Mr. Amanullah Director Pricing, Mr. Ajmal Sohail, Mr. Sayyad Hussain, Mr. Fakhrudin Amer, Mr. Bilal Bin Akber of DRAP attacked directly on 250 million Pakistanis by removing mandatory control on medicine prices on 06 February 2024, Pakistan Young Pharmacist Association wrote on this issue in detail on 24 March 2024, but nothing happened, as Mr. Asim Rauf knows how to control the investigating agencies. We never understood the myth, that most corrupt officers of DRAP are given most important positions since DRAPs start.
Mr. Asim Rauf CEO DRAP is owner of benami businesses:
i. Factory M/s Zeta Pharma, 494 Sundar Industrial Estate, Lahore
ii. M/s Zeta Pharma, 36 Al Sheikh Mohammed Al Nadi St., Off Mostafa El Nahaas St. 6th District. Nasr City, Cairo, Egypt
iii. M/s Asto Life Sciences (Pvt) Ltd, Lahore
iv. Capra-Med (Pvt) Ltd, First Floor, 81 Commercial Broadway, Paragon City, Barki Road, Lahore
DRAPs corrupt officials are enlisting medicines since 2014 without fixing medicine prices; wherein, PYPA is protesting since then, however the
highhandedness of Mr. Asim Rauf, Mr. Amanullah, Mr. Ajmal Sohail, Mr. Sayyad Hussain, Mr. Fakhrudin Amer, Mr. Bilal Bin Akber can be
imagined that instead of fixing medicine prices of enlisted medicine, they decontrolled the medicine prices of registered drugs. The predecessor
(Sh. Akhtar Hussain) of Mr. Asim Rauf was a dead man in two cases of NAB; whereby, NAB did not bother to arrest Sh. Akhtar Hussain. Sh.
Akhtar Hussain was terminated by Federal Government on the order of Islamabad High Court in year 2001, still then, the dead man / terminated
officer was given regular salaries and more than Rs 2.5 million LPR encashment allowance from tax payers money. Sh. Akhtar Hussain has
gathered wealth of Rs billions from corruption, but no Law Enforcement Agency bothers, why?
Once removing control on medicine prices was proposed by the than Finance Minister Mr. Shaukat Aziz in March 2002, but Pakistan Young
Pharmacist Association informed the than CEO Pakistan and President of Pakistan General Pervez Musharaf that market forces can not determine
the medicine prices in Pakistan, because in almost every commodity there is one person who has to determine, whether I may buy or not. In
purchasing medicines there are three different persons involved, who are:
1. Client – Doctor
2. Customer – Attendant of patient (patient’s son/ father/ mother/ husband/ brother/ sister/ daughter etc)
3. Consumer – Patient
Unfortunately 999 out of 1000 doctors are not prescribing medicines and diagnostic tests on real disease based; rather prescription is based on the
volume of bribe paid by Pharmaceutical Companies and Diagnostic Laboratories to doctors; which is a homicidal crime. More the volume of bribe
the heavier the prescription. Extreme sadly, if the prices of medicines were increase, then consumption of medicines would increase. Doctors are
always happy on medicine price increase; herein “higher the medicine prices, richer the doctors”; “increase in medicine sales, richer the
doctors”.
Usually, doctors say to a relative of a poor patient that if you would not arrange X medicine till night then your beloved relative (mother/ father/
child/ wife etc) would die and I am not responsible for his/ her death. Is there any choice for customer?
Pharmaceutical companies are profit making organizations, they donot believe on charity. How we can assume that pharma companies would
reduce their profits or business. On the other hand, our regulator of medicines i.e. officials of Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan are extreme,
extreme and extremely corrupt, which is favorable for profit making pharma companies. Pharmaceutical Companies by lobbing always get key
appointments of DRAP (Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan) to most corrupt officials.
Mr. Asim Rauf CEO, Mr. Amanullah Director Pricing, Mr. Sayyad Hussain, Mr. Ajmal Sohail, Mr. Fakhrudin Amer, Mr. Bilal Bin Akber are the
most corrupt officials of DRAP; and always made and executed anti-Pakistan, anti-patient policies. They made and executed policies, which
increases profits of Pharmaceutical Companies; more over they increased the import bill of medicines and also encouraged Transfer Pricing
(money laundering). The above officials were making their utmost efforts for six years to remove control on medicine prices, and remained
successful on 6th February 2024, when our esteemed Establishment and Cabinet were busy in General Elections and Law enforcement in the
Country.
DRAP has registered such medicines in Pakistan, which were already banned e.g. Panadol Extend 665mg; and gave approval of its advertisement
on mass media; moreover Panadol 500mg was removed from market for two years to convert patients on Panadol Extent 665mg. DRAP has
introduced a nefarious way to loot poor patients by enlistment of medicines without fixing prices. DRAP officials are regularly getting foreign
tours from private Pharmaceutical Companies (which is direct bribe) resultantly import bill of medicines is increasing day by day After 18th amendment the medicine registration and pricing is the prerogative of provinces, DRAP is an unconstitutional organization.
Since DRAP was established to supply of Quality Medicines at Economical Prices to Every Pakistani; herein, DRAP has miserably failed to supply Quality Medicines and Economical Prices to Pakistani, hence medicine registration and pricing may be given to Provinces as per Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
More over removing the control on medicine prices and registration of banned medicines is extreme violation of Constitutional guarantees afforded to every citizen of Islamic Republic of Pakistan and grave violation of Drugs Act 1976 and violation of DRAP Act 2012.
Foreign tours of DRAP officials sponsored by private Pharmaceutical Companies and Transfer Pricing (money laundering) is anti-Pakistan activities of DRAP officials. It is famous that DRAP officials get huge bribes off shore, that is why DRAP officials encourage transfer pricing (money laundering) for smooth transaction of off shore bribe. It is also famous that huger than ever off shore bribe was given by Pharmaceutical
Companies to Mr. Asim Rauf CEO, Mr. Amanullah Director Pricing, Mr. Ajmal Sohail, Mr. Fakhrudin Amer, Mr. Bilal Bin Akber, Mr. Sayyad Hussain of DRAP for removing mandatory control on medicine prices.
Muslim League (N) and Pakistan Peoples Party are always focused on welfare of poor patients and focused on free medicines in Government Hospitals. If medicine prices would increase by ten times on average then it would be almost impossible for our Government to give free medicines in Government Hospitals.
It is pertinent to mention here that Mr. Asim Rauf CEO DRAP is exercising all the powers of Federal Government (Federal Cabinet) since 07 March 2019 in grave violation of law conferred upon by DRAP Act 2012, Drugs Act 1976 and Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Mr.
Asim Rauf is getting salary Rs 1350000 per month along with other perks, which is not approved from Ministry of Finance.
Mr. Asim Rauf gave Rs 500 million bribe to the than Minister and Mrs. Farrah Gogi to become acting CEO DRAP in March 2019 and once again gave Rs 1 billion bribe to the than Minister and Mrs. Farrah Gogi to become regular CEO DRAP in February 2022; wherefrom, under section 5 of DRAP Act 2012, one can be appointed CEO for three years and acting CEO can be appointed for three months. If Mr. Asim Rauf were complete his tenure, he would be CEO for six years, which is grave violation of section 5 of DRAP Act 2012.
On the order of Prime Minister, an inquiry was held to determine, whether the promotion of Mr. Asim Rauf, Mr. Obaidullah and Mr. Fakhrudin
Amer from BS-18 to BS-19 was lawful or otherwise. The inquiry concluded the promotions were illegal and inquiry recommended that all above officers must be reverted to BS-18 forthwith.
Under the above circumstances, it is most respectfully prayed that declare the notification of removing control on medicine prices illegal, null
and void; fix prices of enlisted medicines forthwith, start a criminal prove against Mr. Asim Rauf CEO, Mr. Amanullah Director Pricing, Mr.
Ajmal Sohail, Mr. Fakhrudin Amer, Mr. Sayyad Hussain, Mr. Bilal Bin Akber and probe all allegations level in this complaint against DRAP officials; and appoint honest officials in DRAP for the preferment of poor patients.

When contacted for response , Mr Asim Rauf said “YPA is doing this for quite a long time . I have already termed these as baseless . YPA is also not a registered association and DRAP has taken various actions against them for illegal , unauthorised and spurious drug manufacturing and their prosecutions are pending in Courts of law”.

PYPA , however , contested Mr Asim Rauf’s claims Usman Hundal of PYPA said in response to Mr Asim Rauf’s claims said ” His (Asim Rauf’s assertions regarding PYPA are just baseless as there is not a single complaint against PYPA as claimed by Mr Asim Rauf.