In Pakistan, the health and regulatory authorities have issued a Punjab medicine alert on the use of a number of medicines specified as substandard, counterfeited or unsafe for the public. The alerts were issued as part of Pakistan’s sustained initiatives to enhance pharmaceutical safety standards in order to shield patients from the adverse effects of harmful pharma products being made available in the market.
List of recently flagged and recalled medicines in Punjab
Some recent recalls include Infusion Promass (Paracetamol 1g/100mL) Batch No 042 and Infusion Brzole (Metronidazole 500mg/100mL) Batch No 25081. Water for Injection batches B26413 and 20336 were also identified as having safety concerns.
There are also several other cases of recalls, such as Injection Neudex, Injection Kamedex, Injection Neocobal (Mecobalamin), Film Coated Tablet Virtec (Cetirizine Dihydrochloride 10 mg), and Infusion GEE-Sol sodium chloride and compound sodium lactate.
Major health risks linked to unsafe medicines
Additionally, those that are potentially hazardous and/or counterfeit can cause serious health issues, warn health experts. Medications that are contaminated with bacteria can lead to bloodstream infections, sepsis or serious allergic reactions.
Particles inside the medicine that must be injected into veins or blood vessels can cause inflammation, clog blood vessels and stimulate life-threatening immune reactions. Lack of access to substandard antibiotics and crucial medicines can also mean that an illness will not be treated properly, and the risk of worsening and difficulties in the treatment process may also increase.
Important patient safety instructions issued by authorities
Patients are requested to check on the name, manufacturer and batch number of the medicines carefully before using them. The public notice issued by the Directorate of Drugs Control, Punjab, and the Punjab Healthcare Commission has to be kept updated for recall information.
One of the most crucial preventive measures to take is buying medicines from licensed and authorised pharmacies, regardless of the country. The acquisition of medicines from licensed and authorised pharmacies is one of the most important preventive measures a patient can take, regardless of their country.
