Karachi:
The blockade of motorways due to the current protest movement against the construction of new channels on the Industry River could have a devastating impact on the supply of Sindh drugs to Punjab and other provinces, experts warned on Thursday.
Due to the blockade, the trucks, transporting different drugs remained stuck on the rumbles of traffic in different places in the national highway, the Indus Highway and other roads going to Punjab. However, the experts said that the increase in summer heat was the biggest problem here.
According to experts, drugs and pharmaceutical chemicals left in the sun or heat for a long time could be a threat to public health, as high temperatures could compromise the quality of the drug and, in many cases, made them completely ineffective.
“Excessive heat and humidity can damage the structure of chemicals in drugs, which makes them less effective or ineffective,” said Muhammad Wasil, spokesperson for the Citizen Health Foundation (CHF) to The Express PK Press Club.
In some cases, toxic by-products could also be formed, in particular, syrups and suspensions can thicken. The intensity of the heat can weaken the sealing and packaging of the bottles and, therefore, the air or the humidity could mix with the medication, “said Wasil.
Pakistan Chemists and Druggists Association (PCDA) – which represents those associated with all aspects of pharmaceutical trade – acknowledged that the supply of drugs was confronted with obstacles due to the closure of Sindh highways.
PCDA President Abdul Samad Memon told L’Express PK Press Club that suppliers adopted alternative routes to transport drugs on time. “Significant drugs are sent by Air, as logistics companies have ceased to take actions for delivery by land,” said Memon.
For the moment, Memon has not seen any threats of drug shortages in the country. “A stock, sufficient for one to a month and a half is kept in each city, while most of the drugs that required the fresh chain are sent by air,” he said.
Memon and Wasil have confirmed that containers stuck on the Sindh-Punjab border also include drugs and pharmaceutical chemicals. “If the closing of the highways extended more, it could create a shortage of medication,” said Memon.
Consumer organizations and experts have pointed out that, according to the Standards of the Regulation of Medicines (RID) and standards of the World Health Organization (WHO), common drugs should be stored between 15 and 30 ° C.
They advised the government to monitor the stuck stuck stock and confirm its effectiveness through laboratory tests. They said that drugs, which did not meet standards, should be destroyed, so that the possibility of loss of human life can be eliminated.
