LAHORE: The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has imposed complete ban on import of alternative medicine, health products and their ingredients without prior approval of authority concerned. The unauthorised products or their ingredients would not be allowed without clearance from the area assistant drug controller or assistant director so that illegal imports and spurious manufacturing could be avoided and sales of regulated products could be ensured. A well-placed source privy to this development told Daily Times that the Ministry of Health Services, Regulation and Coordination, through DRAP, has written a letter to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) director general (intelligence and investigation), stating that after the promulgation of the DRAP Act, 2012 and Alternative Medicines or Health Products (enlistment) Rules, 2014, it is prohibited to import or export alternative medicines or health products without prior approval from DRAP. According to law, only importers authorised by health and OTC products division, through enlistment certificates, were entitled to import alternative medicines and health products. The letter further stated that no commercial importer is authorised to import ingredients or products, including herbal medicines, herbal supplements, herbal oils, unani, ayurvedic, siddah medicines, homeopathic, biochemist medicines and Chinese traditional medicines. Furthermore, food supplements of nutraceutical, including probioties, vitamins and mineral products, medicated cosmetics, herbal cosmetics, medicated shampoo, herbal shampoos, medicated soaps, baby milks and food import was also prohibited. The DRAP requested that unauthorised products or their ingredients would not be allowed without clearance from the area assistant drug controller so that sales of regulated products are ensured. All the DRAP deputy director generals and officers incharge of sub-offices were also directed to coordinate with the local Customs authority to ensure the implementation of the DRAP Act, 2012. DRAP was of the view that the Customs’ officials were allegedly allowing clearance of raw material for alternative medicine from abroad into Pakistan, source said. Drug regulations expert and pharmacist Noor Muhammad Mehar said that the herbal companies, which have not applied for registration of their products for enlistment in the DRAP, were not allowed to sell their products after December 31, 2015. He said that for the first time in history of the country, alternative medicine and their ingredients would be imported with approval from the DRAP. After this notification, manufacturing and sale of big firms dealing in herbal medicines and health products would be affected. He informed Daily Times that under this act, violation would result in a punishment of seven to 10 years imprisonment, while the violators would pay a fine as well, adding that the registration fee for a company was Rs 10,000, while medicine registration fee was fixed at Rs 250-2,000 each. It was learnt that over 30,000 herbal drugs and cosmetic production companies were operating in the country without registration and certification from the DRAP.