The development was reviewed at a meeting chaired by Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal, attended by the chief executive officer of the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP), officials from relevant institutions and industry stakeholders.
Officials informed the meeting that approximately 80 per cent of pharmaceutical companies had begun the process of introducing 2D barcodes on their products.
The Ministry of Health has decided to issue formal notices to companies that have failed to submit the required data. It warned that strict legal action would be taken against firms that do not comply with the requirements, including the sealing of manufacturing units of companies that fail to submit medicine-related data.
Mustafa Kamal said eliminating counterfeit medicines had become essential and that there would be no compromise on implementing the 2D barcode system.
He said the government would follow a zero-tolerance policy and directed pharmaceutical companies to ensure that their product serialisation data was submitted to DRAP without fail.
The barcode system is intended to strengthen the tracking and verification of medicines, helping authorities identify counterfeit products and improve oversight of pharmaceutical supply chains.