Karachi: The Sindh Drug Testing Laboratory (DTL) has declared seven batches of six widely used medicines spurious after tests found that the samples did not contain their stated active pharmaceutical ingredients.
The medicines include antibiotics, drugs for abdominal pain and gastric complaints, a painkiller and a laxative. Officials said the companies concerned had disowned the identified batches, saying they were not manufactured by them.
DTL Director Adnan Rizvi said the laboratory had declared specific batches of Velosef 500mg capsules, Augmentin 625mg tablets, No-Spa Forte 80mg tablets, Mucaine suspension, Brexin tablets and Laxoberon liquid spurious under the Drugs Act, 1976.
He said laboratory analysis showed that the tested samples did not contain the active ingredients required for their therapeutic effect.
According to the laboratory findings, the batches are Velosef 500mg capsules (batch LX3E), Augmentin 625mg tablets (YT9D), No-Spa Forte 80mg tablets (AN010), Mucaine suspension (257A088), Brexin tablets (W6BC) and Laxoberon liquid (46292 and 43445).
Velosef and Augmentin are antibiotics commonly prescribed for bacterial infections. No-Spa Forte is used to relieve abdominal cramps and spasms, Mucaine for acidity and other gastric complaints, and Brexin for pain and inflammation, particularly in joint-related conditions. In the case of Laxoberon, tests confirmed the absence of sodium picosulfate, the active ingredient responsible for its laxative effect.
Rizvi said Martin Dow Marker, the manufacturer of Laxoberon, had informed the authorities in writing that the products bearing the identified batch numbers were not manufactured by the company. He added that the companies associated with the other five brands had also communicated that the questioned batches were not their genuine products.
The companies’ responses, along with the laboratory findings, have raised concerns that counterfeit products bearing the names of established pharmaceutical brands may have entered the medicine supply chain.
Rizvi said the laboratory reports had been forwarded to the Secretary of the Sindh Quality Control Board and the Provincial Inspector of Drugs, Karachi South, for legal proceedings under the Drugs Act, 1976. The reports on the two Laxoberon batches have also been referred to the provincial quality control authorities for action under the relevant provisions of the law.
Health experts warned that medicines without active ingredients could pose serious risks to patients, as they fail to provide the treatment for which they are prescribed.
They said the consequences could be particularly serious in the case of antibiotics, where patients with bacterial infections may experience worsening illness or delays in effective treatment if they unknowingly consume such products.
Patients taking spurious medicines for pain, abdominal disorders or constipation may also continue to suffer from untreated symptoms despite following the prescribed treatment, they added.
However, officials have not provided details of the quantities of the identified batches that may have reached the market, the areas where they were distributed, or whether any patients suffered harm after using them.
The laboratory findings relate only to the identified batches and do not establish any quality defect in other batches of the same brands manufactured by their legitimate companies, officials said.