Lahore: An illegal drug manufacturing unit producing and packaging opioid painkiller Nalbuphine along with antibiotics and other medicines including Velocef, Tamsol D and Methix tablets has been busted in Lahore, raising fresh concerns over the unchecked spread of unregulated and potentially dangerous pharmaceuticals in the market.
The raid was carried out in the Ferozewala area on the directions of Punjab Health Minister Khawaja Imran Nazir and Health Secretary Nadia Saquib, under the supervision of Chief Drugs Controller Punjab Dr. Faisal Mehmood.
Officials said a dedicated enforcement team entered the premises and found a fully functional setup where medicines were being manufactured, packed and prepared for distribution without any regulatory approval. The facility was immediately sealed.
During the operation, authorities recovered key pharmaceutical machinery including a blistering machine, an injection printing unit and large quantities of packaging material, suggesting the products were being readied for sale in the open market.
A substantial stock of medicines was also seized. Among them was Nalbuphine, an injectable opioid that has seen increasing misuse as a recreational drug in Pakistan. Officials said the presence of such a drug in an unlicensed facility points to a dangerous supply chain feeding both patients and substance users.
In addition, capsules and tablets labelled as Velocef, Tamsol D and Methix were recovered, raising serious questions about the quality, authenticity and safety of medicines circulating outside the regulated system.
Authorities later estimated the value of the seized medicines and equipment at over Rs20 million.
Officials confirmed that the unit was operating without a valid licence, in violation of the Drugs Act, 1976, and legal proceedings have been initiated against those involved. Investigators are now working to trace the distribution network and identify individuals linked to the operation.
Public health experts warn that such illegal manufacturing units pose a dual threat, exposing patients to substandard or fake medicines while also contributing to drug misuse, particularly in the case of injectable opioids like Nalbuphine.
Punjab drug authorities say enforcement operations will continue across the province as part of a wider crackdown on unlicensed pharmaceutical production, with officials maintaining that curbing the supply of unsafe medicines remains critical to protecting public health.
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