DRAP orders pharma companies to recall China medicines containing propylene glycol

In order to curb the supply of low-quality medicines, the Drug Regulatory Autho­rity of Pakistan (DRAP) has directed pharmaceutical companies to recall medicines containing Propylene Glycol, especially imported from China, reported 24 NewsHD TV channel.

DRAP in a letter to Chemists and Drugs Associations clarified that pharma industry failed in pre-production testing of Propylene Glycol. In Propylene Glycol, quality of EG and DIG is beyond limit which is injurious to health.

The regulator found that local drug manufacturing companies have failed to meet international standards. In Chinses made raw material, the quantity of Propylene Glycol (PG), a prohibited substance, is more than accepted point. Therefore medical companies are directed not to supply the said raw material.

The regulator found at least six pharmaceutical companies involved in producing syrups with high proportions of Propylene Glycol (PG), a prohibited substance.

According to a document issued by DRAP, syrups manufactured by the local manufacturing companies reported to have been found to be contaminated.  

Earlier this month, the regulator seized a batch of PG imported from a Thailand-based company after detecting impurities.

According to a document issued by DRAP, upon ingestion, PG impurities, also called ethylene glycol (EG), metabolise into toxins that affect the central nervous system and heart and can cause kidney damage, which can be fatal.

The issue of poisonous syrups caused global embarrassment for Pakistan in December 2023 when the Maldives informed about contamination in medicines imported from Pakistan.

Reporter Babar Shahzad Turk