THE Drug Regulation Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) recently announced the cancellation of a medicine, Nimusalide, on the basis of research conducted in European Union on EU citizens. It states that the chemical can damage the liver.
Recent research has proven the difference in effects of different medicines on Pakistani and EU patients. For example, the efficacy of Rotavirus vaccine is reduced in Pakistani children owing to the presence of higher gut bacteria compared to EU children.
DRAP should also conduct research on the effects of Nimusalide on Pakistani patients before ordering the cancellation of registration as this drug is used by a high number of poor patients and generates high revenue for many companies.
DRAP also receives more than a billion rupees for research from all pharmaceutical companies every year. But it has failed to establish a research laboratory or conduct research on pharmaceutical products.
DRAP has also increased all its fees by more than 1,000pc in the last two years, but has failed to increase workforce or complete work in time. In fact, there is no fingerprint attendance system at DRAP and its employees arrive at 10.30am and leave at 1.00pm to pick their children from schools and have lunch. They mostly don`t show up later.
If DRAP wants to improve the working and end back-logged files, they have the facility, the people and funds. The multinational companies were bought by various politicians and their relatives. DRAP has been providing increase in medicine rates for politicians-owned companies, while denying this right to national companies, creating a monopoly for some companies.
