DRAP issues alert, bars citizens to buy fake Rhophylac injection
The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has issued a rapid alert on the sale and use of a counterfeit imported injection used for treating blood-related disorders.
The DRAP conducted a crackdown against fake imported medicines and barred patients from using or purchasing the injection, Rhophylac 300, a human Anti-D immunoglobulin medication.
DRAP has also banned the distribution and administration of the fake batch of Rhophylac.
A rapid alert issued by DRAP confirmed that the counterfeit version of Rhophylac, originally manufactured by CSL Behring, a Swiss pharmaceutical company, has been on sale in medicine markets across Pakistan.
The problematic batch identified by the regulatory authority bears the number 100669751 P, which has been declared fake.
According to DRAP, the Drug Control Department of Punjab was the first to report the presence of the falsified Rhophylac injection.
Laboratory testing, including sterility checks, confirmed that the counterfeit samples were substandard and hazardous to health.
The label on the fake injection contains false manufacturing information and includes a misleading address attributed to CSL Switzerland, raising red flags about its authenticity.
DRAP further warned that the use of such counterfeit drugs, particularly biological products like Anti-D immunoglobulin, poses serious health risks due to their uncertain composition and efficacy.
Anti-D immunoglobulin is a commercial biological antibody derived from human blood plasma.
It is used to target red blood cells in patients and is crucial in the treatment of immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), among other conditions.
In response to the alarming discovery, DRAP has directed its National Regulatory Field Force to intensify market surveillance and seize all vials of the fake Rhophylac batch.
Pharmacies have been ordered to immediately halt the sale of the affected batch, while doctors and patients have been advised not to use the injection under any circumstances.
