Another locally-developed intensive care unit (ICU) ventilator has been approved by the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP). The ventilator was developed by the National Engineering and Scientific Commission (NESCOM). It has been named Pakvent-1, the health ministry stated. The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) Medical Devices Division registered the life-support machine. Confirming the news, the drug regulator’s Chief Executive Officer Dr Asim Rauf said the ventilator having a lifespan of ten years has been registered for a five-year period. He said that the ventilator’s development was a major step towards self-reliance. Last week, the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) had registered a ventilator named “i-LIVE”. The authority’s Medical Devices Registration Board registered the life-support machine in a meeting held on Friday.