LAHORE, Jan 31: Special Assistant to Chief Minister on Health Khwaja Salman Rafique has said the police will soon arrest 11 absconding officials of the Karachi-based pharmaceutical company which had been held guilty of providing defective medicine to the Punjab Institute of Cardiology.

The PIC scam claimed more than 200 lives and many others are still being treated.

At a press conference on Thursday, he said the Lahore police had already arrested the owner of the company and a senior admin official when they were trying to escape abroad. He dispelled the impression that the accused were arrested from outside the Sessions Court.

“Several police teams are searching for the 11 officials who disappeared and a court declared them proclaimed offenders,” he said.

Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah, Health Secretary Arif Nadeem and Home Secretary Shahid Khan were also present.

Khwaja Rafique said the company owner was the main culprit as he had ignored the alert call of his manager about adulteration of anti-malaria material in the cardiac medicine.

Rana Sana defended the Punjab government by saying it had taken timely steps and engaged senior doctors to save lives of many cardiac patients who had consumed the defective drug. He claimed progress in Tyno syrup case as well.

Arif Nadeem said the health department had written to the federal authorities for the suspension of licences of the three pharmaceutical companies involved in incidents of drugs’ reactions. He said the Drug Regulatory Authority had also been approached for the purpose.

He said the WHO had already issued international health alert regarding the raw material ‘Levometharphen’ used in cough syrups. The said raw material was imported by the local companies.