Summary Health Minister Mustafa Kamal said around 80 per cent of pharmaceutical companies have begun implementing 2D barcodes, warning of legal action against non-compliant firms.
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - A meeting chaired by Health Minister Mustafa Kamal reviewed progress on implementing 2D barcodes on medicines after the October 9 deadline. The meeting was attended by the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) chief executive and officials from relevant institutions, along with other stakeholders.
Officials said around 80 per cent of pharmaceutical companies had started implementing the 2D barcode system. The meeting decided to issue formal notices to companies that had not submitted the required data.
The Ministry of Health said companies failing to comply within the prescribed period would face strict legal action, and manufacturing units of firms that did not submit medicine data would be sealed.
Kamal said eliminating counterfeit medicines was imperative and that there would be no compromise on implementing the 2D barcode system. He said a zero-tolerance policy would be adopted.
The minister directed all pharmaceutical companies to submit their serialization data to DRAP in accordance with the prescribed requirements to ensure effective monitoring, transparency and a track-and-trace system for medicines.
