KARACHI: MCC Appraisement East has issued an ‘Assessment Alert’ for the information of all concerned, that the consignments of the goods requiring Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) enlistment will not be released unless both the importers and the goods being imported are enlisted with DRAP.

Various petitions were filed by the importers and their associations against the Drug Authority of Pakistan Act (DRAP), 2012 whereby the importers and the goods they intend to import are required to be enlisted with DRAP.

Reluctantly, High Court of Sindh had granted “Stay Order” in said petitions. However, the High Court of Sindh had disposed off the petitions filed on the subject matter.

Furthermore, the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has also issued guidelines for all stakeholders for the enlistment of the importers and their goods in terms of the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan Act, 2012 read with Alternate Medicines and Health Products (Enlistment) Rules, 2014. The said guidelines are available on the DRAP main website.

Therefore, all manufacturers and importers of Alternative Medicine including products used exclusively in homeopathic, unani, ayurvedic, biochemic, Chinese or any other system of treatment; health products including probiotics, disinfectants, nutritional products, food supplements, baby milks & foods, medicated soaps and medicated shampoos; are required to get themselves and the goods they intent to manufacture or import enlisted with DRAP, for getting release of the consignments of the above mentioned goods.

Moreover, the DRAP has clarified that the said goods also include premixes/preparations of a kind used in animal feed even containing antibiotics or other drugs.

MCC Appraisement East has circulated for information of all concerned that in terms of Para-6 of the Import Policy Order in vogue read with above provisions of law, the consignments of the goods requiring DRAP enlistment will not be released if both the importers and the goods being imported are not enlisted with DRAP.