ISLAMABAD: The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap) has urged consumers to use its Mehfooz Dawa application to verify the authenticity and prices of medicines as part of its efforts to curb the sale of counterfeit drugs.

About 800 pharmaceutical companies and more than 90,000 medicines were registered with Drap, Sajid Shah, a spokesperson for the Ministry of National Health Services, told Dawn.

Shah said Drap had set up a 2D barcode system that allows consumers to scan medicine packs and ensure they receive safe, high-quality and effective products.

The centralised track-and-trace system for pharmaceutical products distributed across Pakistan became operational on October 9, he added.

Furthermore, according to the spokesperson, the system will enable authorities to track medicine supply chains and make it easier to recall products in case of complaints or quality issues. People with smartphones will also be able to scan barcodes to view product details and prices.

The idea of introducing a barcode system was first proposed in 2015. It was approved by the federal cabinet in 2017; however, bureaucratic delays prevented its implementation.

Earlier, Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal, taking notice of the delay, announced that the system would be launched as soon as possible.

Earlier this year, Drap had set October 1 as the cut-off date for launching the barcode system to curb the sale of counterfeit and expired medicines and eradicate black marketing.

Shah said the Ministry of National Health Services was “dedicated” to ensuring that citizens had access to high-quality and effective therapeutic products.