The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap) has approved another locally-developed intensive care unit (ICU) ventilator, sources said on Wednesday. The National Engineering and Scientific Commission (NESCOM) developed the ventilator named Pakvent-1, the sources in the health ministry said. 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 billed the ventilator’s development as 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.