Pak drug regulator investigates distributors of Roche's Avastin drug after diabetic patients become blind

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Roche's Avastin cancer drug after 12 diabetic patients injected with the drug became blind, said a report by news agency Reuters. The health authorities in Punjab had launched the investigation into local use of the drug Avastin, the report said citing the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP).

“Incidents of loss of vision in diabetic patients have been reported following treatment with Altered/Dispensed/Diluted Avastin injection," the regulator said in a statement, as per the Reuters report. The police were questioning two men believed to be the drug's distributors in Punjab, the report added citing Javed Akram, Punjab province’s minister for specialised health.

“A high level committee has been constituted to probe the issue. A case has been registered against the distributor and his aide." The DRAP has ordered the importer to recall the suspected batches of Avastin 100mg injection, which it said had been created illegally.

“The sale/distribution of registered Avastin injection has been put on halt till verification of its quality through sampling and laboratory testing to safeguard public health," it said. Avastin was approved in more than 130 countries, including the United States, to treat several types of cancer, Roche said on its website.

Exciting news! Mint is now on WhatsApp Channels :rocket: Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest financial insights! Click here! “Roche strongly condemns this criminal act of counterfeiting and is doing everything in its power to cooperate with the authorities to protect patients from counterfeits," said Roche in a statement to Reuters. “In Pakistan, the vision loss from Avastin has been identified by the authorities as a case of contamination