The establishment of DRAP presents a unique opportunity to overhaul the loophole-filled drug regulation in Pakistan, and to fix issues in areas such as manufacturing, import and export, registration, licensing, monitoring, standardisation, pricing, and quality control.
But experts are worried that key roles in the agency will be handed out to “handpicked officials to serve a vested interest” instead of to those best suited.
An unnamed Ministry of Health Official told The News International’s Shanina Maqbool: “Various lobbies are vying for key slots or at least some kind of representation within DRAP and PMDC to be able to manipulate their functioning.
“There is a very strong possibility of handpicked officials being appointed as chairman and CEO of DRAP, and as registrar and president of PMDC, to serve vested interests.”