Mystery deaths
THE government’s response to the loss of several lives because of what many doctors say was the adverse reaction of certain life-saving drugs given to heart patients by the Punjab Institute of Cardiology has been deeply flawed. Other than forming one committee after another to ‘look into’ the matter, the provincial administration has done little to prevent further deaths from the mystery disease, which was initially thought to be related to dengue. It took Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, who holds the portfolio of the provincial health minister, more than three weeks to order the sealing of a part of the pharmaceutical company that provided the suspect drugs — Cardiovestin (simvastatin), Alfagril (clopidogrel), Concort (amlodipine), and Soloprin (aspirin) — to the PIC after the reaction was noticed by doctors. Nothing has so far been done to get a laboratory analysis of the batch of drugs suspected of having done the damage. Nor has any effort been made to procure alternative medicines for free distribution amongst poor PIC patients.


At least 26 people have died so far, and at risk are 2,000 PIC patients from across the province who have already used a combination of the possibly spurious or adulterated drugs. Under the law, these drugs should have been tested in a laboratory for the proportion of ingredients constituting them. Yet another 8,000 people, who have been advised against using these drugs ever since the adverse reaction of the drugs was noticed, are struggling because they are not getting free alternative medicines.
Apparently, they have been left to fend for themselves by the government. The government must realise the gravity of the situation and take appropriate measures to help those who are in dire need of alternative medication. This is what should have been done the day the PIC stopped distributing the drugs.

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