Federal Minister for National Health Services Abdul Qadir Patel Monday said that paracetamol is available in the market in sufficient quantity.
While addressing a press conference, the minister denied the reports of the scarcity of the medicine. He said that pharmaceutical companies have ramped up the production of paracetamol.
Patel said that paracetamol is a generic drug and is available under 50 different brand names, one of them being Panadol. He said that pharmaceutical companies have been asked to sell medicines under generic names instead of brand names.
The health minister mentioned that the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has been asked to ensure the availability of raw materials for manufacturing medicines. He said that the government would also monitor the suppliers of raw materials. Alongside this, the report regarding the performance of each drug inspector would be sought daily.
Responding to a query about the sale of counterfeit medicines in the market, the minister said that a crackdown in this regard would start from tomorrow.
It is pertinent to mention here that in recent days there has been a shortage of paracetamol in the country. The rise in dengue and Covid cases coupled with the outbreak of diseases in the aftermath of floods have significantly increased the demand for the drug.
