Proposed changes in drug law to ensure availability of quality medicines in KP
PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government is incorporating amendments to Drug Act, 1976, to regulate import, export, manufacturing, storage, distribution and sale of drugs to ensure public safety through availability of quality drugs and fast-track cases in the court. The proposed amendments also seek to enhance punishments for sellers and manufacturers of substandard medicines and medical…
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, legislative changes are being proposed to the Drug Act, 1976, with the aim of ensuring the availability of high-quality medicines, expediting legal proceedings, and imposing stricter penalties for substandard drugs. The amendments seek to streamline the import, export, production, storage, distribution, and sale of drugs to safeguard public health.
The Drug Act currently empowers the federal government to issue manufacturing licenses, register medicines, regulate drug imports and exports, set maximum retail prices, and establish quality standards, as well as allocate authority for governance, licensing, labeling, and packaging of drugs. Amendments to the bill will enable the provincial government to grant drug sale licenses, create provincial quality control boards, and establish drug testing laboratories.
It also seeks to streamline the drug testing process by allowing provinces to bypass the need for prior provincial government approval when setting up a Provincial Quality Control Board (PQCB). The amendments also grant the chief minister the power to establish PQCBs, without the need for the provincial government's approval, to ensure faster case resolution.
The amendments also aim to enhance penalties for those selling and manufacturing substandard medicines and medical devices. Under the proposed changes, penalties for selling spurious or unregistered drugs and unlicensed manufacturing/import will be increased to 10 years imprisonment and a fine of at least Rs1 million, respectively.
In addition, the penalties for imitation, false warranties, incorrect names, and adulteration will rise to seven years imprisonment and up to Rs5 million in fines. The drug court provisions will also be amended, allowing for the transfer of authority to provincial governments and providing a clear appellate process for aggrieved parties.
Written by urgent.news from Dawn - Pakistan's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
