ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Health Minister Dr Nadeem Jan on Sunday said that a locally-manufactured injection, which caused vision loss among several patients in Punjab, had been with-drawn from the market and an action has been launched against suppliers and manufacturers.
“The stock of injection has been recalled from the market and stern action has been started against two drug suppliers,” health minister said, while addressing a press conference along with Punjab health minister Dr Jamal Nasir in Islamabad.
He added that complaints of vision loss from injection were received from Multan, Kasur, Faisalabad and Sadiqabad.
The minister was of the view that investigation from all the aspects is going on and the health depart-ment would also compensate the loss of patients. “We’ll provide best health facilities to patients who lost their eyesight after using the injection,” care-taker health minister said.
Punjab Minister for Primary and Secondary Healthcare Dr Jamal Nasir said that the injection is of 100 mg and there are around 14 to 20 patients so far who lost their vision.
“We first launched the FIR against Naveed and Bilal for making substandard drug. They were charging up to 1 lac for each injection,” he said.
Nasir said that the a large margin of profit was being earned through the injection. He said that the in-jection came in a dose of 100mg, and was manufactured by a multinational pharmaceutical and distrib-uted by a well-reputed institution.
“The dose is 100mg. But it is divided for the eyes because only a 1.2mg dose is required,” the provincial minister said. He said the entire batch had been removed from the market by the Drug Regulatory Au-thority of Pakistan (Drap), adding instructions had been issued that that it would not be sold until the reports weren’t clear.
The Punjab government has constituted a five-member committee to review the case of eye infection due to Avastin injection.
The committee will submit its report within three days and will also put forward recommendations to avoid recurrence of such incidents in future.
The committee will be led by King Edward Medical University Dr Asad Aslam Khan as convener. Other members include Director General Drugs Control Muhammad Sohail, Mayo Hospital’s Dr Muhammad Moin, Lahore General Hospital’s Dr Tayyaba and Services Hospital’s Prof Dr Mohsin.
All doctors and patients have been instructed not to use Avastin injection and medical stores, whole-salers and distributors have been stopped from selling this injection.
Samples of the injection have been sent for lab tests so that the real facts can be brought out.
The Punjab health authorities raided the third floor of a private hospital and sealed the cancer care centre situated on thrild floor. One Naveed Abdullah involved in injection manufacturing escaped from the hospital. The suspect used to supply injections to eye clinics.
A case has been lodged against Naveed and Bilal Raseed. –Agencies
