DO NOT use this antibiotic medicine, Punjab issues alert

The Punjab government has issued an alert against the use of a batch of antibiotic ‘Azomax 250mg (Azithromycin) capsules’ following the provincial drug testing laboratory has declared the product is “spurious.”

According to a public notice issued by the Directorate of Drugs Control (DDC), Punjab, the affected batch number is H5332, with an expiry date of July 2027.

The notice states that the capsules were recovered from an unauthorized individual or drug peddler, and the original manufacturer of the medicine confirmed that the recovered product does not belong to its genuine manufacturing operations.

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The Drug Testing Laboratory, Punjab, classified the batch as “spurious” under Section 3(zb)(i) of the Drugs Act, 1976, prompting regulatory action by the Provincial Quality Control Board.

The notice instructs market authorization holders, importers, and distributors to review their supply chains and immediately report any suspicious or unauthorized distribution to the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP).

Healthcare facilities, pharmacies, wholesalers and distributors have been directed to stop dispensing the affected batch, isolate existing stock and submit inventory and consumption records to the relevant drug inspectors.

Authorities have also ordered increased market surveillance and enforcement action against any non-compliance.

The public has been advised not to use Azomax 250mg capsules from batch H5332 and to purchase medicines only from authorized pharmacies and medical stores.