What are the updates on the raid on Islamabad’s famous chemists?
A team from the Islamabad Custom Officials raided the warehouse of Shaheen Chemist at a godown in Rawalpindi on Nov 23 evening. Huge quantities of fake food supplements were apparently recovered in the raid.
According to video that is being linked to the raid led by Additional Collector Customs Islamabad Ayesha Wani, employees were also found stamping “Made in USA” on local products to trick the consumer into thinking that the product was imported.
Deputy Commissioner Islamabad, Hamza Shafqaat took to Twitter to clarify the situation. He said that at the moment no fake medicine had been found in Islamabad; stores in I-8, F-11 and other areas were being closed for lack of documents.
D Watson Under Scrutiny as well
Five D-Watson stores have failed to provide requisite documents of imported medicines. Furthermore, Teams of Islamabad Administration and Pakistan Customs are inspecting various pharmacy and cosmetics outlets around the city, informed DC Islamabad.
Shaheen and D-Watson have long been the two most trusted names in pharmaceutical goods. Outraged consumers are now furious that these chains have been “robbing” people by labelling locally made, non-approved medicines as “imported”.
So, as it stands, major branches of the famous Shaheen Chemist and D-Watson have been either sealed or closed. Most patients in the Twin-Cities needing imported medication like insulin or other necessary goods used these stores for their needs. It is alarming that this went on for so long.
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Fake Medicine in Pakistan
Fake medicine is a huge issue in Pakistan. A 2015 CNN investigation into Pakistan’s huge fake drugs industry revealed how fake drugs seized in the U.S. showed traces of pesticides, rat poison, brick dust and paint.
According to PPA, there are approximately 4,000 licensed pharmacies in the country. But there could be as many as 100,000 illegal merchants selling medications to the vulnerable population. The government must put stricter regulations on the process of giving licenses to sell medicine; these counterfeit drugs can result in severe consequences and even the patient’s death.
Let’s see what the sample reports by DRAP as promised by DC Islamabad says.
