The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP), the federal body that oversees medicines and related products, has issued a DRAP new notification that places eight categories of everyday health goods under stricter control. Official sources say the step is meant to raise product quality and better protect public health.
Under the revised framework, products covered by the notice must meet applicable registration, approval and quality-control requirements before they can be manufactured or sold in Pakistan. Official sources list vitamins, dietary supplements, medicated soaps, shampoos and specialised infant milk among the items brought into this tighter net.
What the notification requires
Health and over-the-counter products recognised as therapeutic goods will face the same kind of scrutiny applied to other regulated items: checks on how they are made, what they contain, how they are labelled, and whether they meet stated quality standards. DRAP regulations in this area are intended to ensure that products which claim medicinal or therapeutic benefits actually meet prescribed safety and quality benchmarks.
Pharmacists and other healthcare professionals have welcomed Notification No. S.R.O. 1688(I)/2026, issued on 6 October 2026, for formally treating specified health and OTC products as therapeutic goods. They say clearer rules should strengthen accountability among manufacturers and importers and support safer choices for the public.
Why vitamins, supplements and infant milk matter
Health professionals note that vitamins, dietary supplements and specialised infant milk are widely sold in supermarkets, pharmacies and other shops. Shoppers often cannot tell which brands have been properly checked and which have not. Stronger oversight is expected to reduce the space for counterfeit or substandard goods marketed with medicinal or antiseptic claims.
The same professionals advise buying health-related products from trusted sources and asking a pharmacist or doctor before choosing supplements, medicated items or specialised infant nutrition—especially where a child or someone with an illness is involved.
What comes next for makers and buyers
Manufacturers and importers will need to align with registration and quality requirements if they want to keep these products on the market. For consumers, the practical change should be gradual: more verified labelling and composition claims over time, rather than an overnight shift on every shelf. The move also fits wider efforts to tighten pharmaceutical oversight and market surveillance so that health products sold in Pakistan meet established safety standards.
Aasan alfaaz mein
DRAP ne sehat se related kuch common products ke qawaid sakht kar diye hain. Is mein vitamins, supplements, medicated soap, shampoo aur khas infant milk shamil hain. Ab in cheezon ko banane ya bechne se pehle registration aur quality check zaroori hoga. Aap ke liye matlab yeh hai ke asli, safe products milne ka imkan behtar hoga—lekin trusted dukaan se khariden aur zarurat ho to doctor ya pharmacist se mashwara lein.
