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Essential medicines out of market

Shortage of essential drugs call for immediate initiative from the government January 18, 2009.By Sajid Bashir: As many as 61 different lifesaving and essential drugs have disappeared from the markets of Lahore since last few weeks.
These essential lifesaving drugs are missing from all the wholesale markets, medical stores and pharmacy chain outlets in various parts of the provincial metropolis.
President Pakistan Chemists Retailers Association, Ishaq Mayo said that there are several reasons behind the shortage of these vital medicines.
"A number of dealers who are manufacturing unregistered medicines, have gone underground because of the recent campaign of Punjab Government against the manufacturers of unregistered medicines. With the disappearance of these dealers medicines have become short," Mayo said.
"Besides, a large number of manufacturers are not providing medicines to the markets as required, the reason why shortage has become a regular feature. Such manufacturers should be prosecuted under the law of Provincial Drug Rules for not meeting the medicines' needs in the markets. On the other hand, there is need to check medicines export in such conditions.
"Patients may be dying without medicines so government needs to take immediate initiatives to overcome this problem," the president Pakistan Chemists Retailers Association said.
The list of 37 lifesaving drugs, which are manufactured in Pakistan, but are not available in the country, is as follows: GSK-manufactured eight drugs including Ventolin inhaler, Ventolin solution, Ventide inhaler, Thyroxin tab, Migril tab, Zyloric tab (300 mg), Betnovate cream –Up-John-manufactured five drugs including Solucartif 500 mg, Solu Medrol 500 mg, Solu Medrol 1 gm and Trobicin injection – Squibb-manufactured three drugs including Canacart A injection, Canacart A tincture and Canacart tab – Reckitt & Colmann-manufactured one drug Neo Mercazol tab – Lund Beck-manufactured one drug Denaxit...

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