DRAP urges public to verify medicines with Mehfooz Dawa app as track-and-trace goes live

ISLAMABAD: The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has urged consumers to check a medicine’s authenticity and official price on its Mehfooz Dawa app before buying it. The centralised track-and-trace system for medicines distributed across Pakistan became operational on 9 October, as part of efforts to curb the sale of counterfeit drugs.

About 800 pharmaceutical companies and more than 90,000 medicines are registered with DRAP, Sajid Shah, a spokesperson for the Ministry of National Health Services, told Dawn. He said DRAP had set up a 2D barcode system that allows consumers to scan medicine packs and ensure they receive safe, high-quality and effective products. People with smartphones can scan the barcode to view product details and the registered price.

Supply chains tracked, recalls made easier
According to the spokesperson, the system will enable the authorities to track medicine supply chains and make it easier to recall products in case of complaints or quality issues. In an alert on 5 November, DRAP advised consumers to buy therapeutic products only from authorised or licensed outlets and to carefully check their authenticity and condition. The regulator continues to issue alerts over counterfeit, substandard, adulterated and unregistered medicines.

A plan from 2015, approved in 2017, delivered now
The idea of a barcode system was first proposed in 2015. It was approved by the federal cabinet in 2017, but bureaucratic delays prevented its implementation. Earlier this year, DRAP set 1 October as the cut-off date for launching the barcode system to curb the sale of counterfeit and expired medicines and eradicate black marketing. Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal, taking notice of the delay, announced that the system would be launched as soon as possible. The Ministry of National Health Services said it was “dedicated” to ensuring citizens had access to high-quality and effective therapeutic products.