Gujranwala (HM Faisal; www.pharmareview.com). The Punjab Drug Rule 2007 will barred the drug store that not appoint the pharmacist for the purpose of pharmaceutical community services to sell a total one hundred and forty five (145) life-saving controlled/ narcotics/ potent drugs. It is enforced to accomplish with the internationally accredited standards and provide quality health services. It becomes especially important to promote the rational drug usage and encourage pharmacy culture in Punjab province of Pakistan.
The Punjab governor has notified the Punjab Drugs Rules 2007 under section 44 of the Drugs Act 1976. The rules have been revised after a gap of 19 years. The Wholesale Chemists and Druggists Association’s Lahore chapter president, Nisar Chaudry said that no stakeholder were contacted and persuaded in this context. It an important issue correlated directly with the survival of pharmaceutical merchants.
Moreover; under the new rules, the period of renewal of drug sale license has also been reduced from two to one year. The licensing authority also supposed to bother the inspection report of premises, business procedure and other legal requirements reported by the inspector of drug of that area of jurisprudence. Unavailability of such a large range of pharmaceutical preparations in about 50,000 medical stores in Punjab means generating big health hazard for patients. Furthermore; there are only very few hundred pharmacies available in the province. Mr. Nisar Chaudhry said the role of wholesalers and distributors had also not explained in the rules as well.
Besides this, the rules say the licensing authority shall not issue a license unless the premises of a pharmacy or medical store is clean and hygienic, has adequate facility for storage of drugs and for their protection from direct sunlight and dust. Under the rules, an aggrieved party may file an appeal to the provincial appellate authority within 30 days of the date of the order issued by the licensing authority. A nine-member provincial quality control board, headed by the provincial health secretary, has been constituted. The board may constitute a committee in a district to be known as the district quality control board. Both boards may meet at least once a month to review the situation of drugs’ quality control.
Before referring a case to a drug court, the provincial or district board shall ascertain the name of the director, partner, and employee of the company who is prima facie responsible for the commission of the offence under the Act or rules and may allow an inspector to institute prosecution against such person. According to the rules, no person shall be appointed as an inspector unless he holds a degree in pharmacy from a university or an institution recognized by the Pharmacy Council of Pakistan and has at least one-year experience in manufacture, sale, testing and analysis of drugs.