Public exposed: track & trace system delays leave patients vulnerable to fake drugs

Islamabad: The Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services raised serious alarm over delays in implementing the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan’s (DRAP) mobile authentication app, warning that millions of rural and low income patients remain exposed to counterfeit and substandard medicines.

During a parliamentary session, Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri highlighted that while the app promises real time QR code verification of pharmaceutical products, its rollout has been slow and enforcement has so far been largely reactive. Officials admitted that full operationalization depends on pending amendments to the Drugs (Labelling & Packing) Rules, 1986, and deployment by the National Information Technology Board (NITB), leaving a critical gap in safeguarding public health.

The Committee was briefed that DRAP has proposed a serialization system with randomized, unique barcodes for all drugs to eliminate spurious and unregistered medicines. However, delays in software integration and app deployment have left the public vulnerable, particularly in remote areas where access to quality medicines is already limited. Critics called the situation “a preventable public health crisis” and demanded accountability for the prolonged implementation.

Meanwhile, DRAP is piloting a Risk Based Post Marketing Quality Survey (RB PMQS) in Islamabad, aimed at establishing a credible baseline of drug quality nationwide. The survey, endorsed by WHO technical consultants, replaces ad hoc inspections with sophisticated risk profiling to target high risk medicines. Federal and provincial inspectors will roll out the program in June 2026, starting with Good Manufacturing Practices audits and risk based post market surveillance.

Officials assured the Committee that findings from the pilot will refine the survey methodology for a nationwide expansion to harmonize drug quality standards across Pakistan. Yet, lawmakers expressed frustration at the pace of reforms, warning that without urgent action, patients especially in rural areas face continued exposure to counterfeit drugs.