IHC remands miscarriage prevention drug case to DAB
By Saad Saud

ISLAMABAD—Islamabad High Court here Tuesday remanded a case about manufacturing and marketing of a miscarriage prevention drug to Drug Appellate Board of Ministry of Health with direction that it should look into the matter and reconsider its previous decision by constituting Board according to its laws.
A single bench comprising Justice Syed Qalbe Hassan heard the writ petition filed by Highnoon Pharmaceutical company against a decision of Drug Appellate Board of the Ministry of Health.
In the previous hearing, the Bench has retained a stay over production of drug.
The petitioner had informed the Court that a drug Derogest was introduced in the market by Zafa Pharmaceutical company to prevent miscarriage in pregnant women after approval by the Drug Licensing Board.
But after two years on various complaints about its ineffectiveness the same Board imposed a ban on manufacturing and marketing of the same drug.
The Zafa company took the matter to Drug Appellate Board of the Ministry of Health which lifted the ban and Secretary Ministry of Health issued a directive in this regard.
The petitioner had argued that under section 2 and 3 of the Drug Appellate Board Act, it was required that all the members of the board should unanimously decide the issue but it was decided by one man.
The petition maintained that secretary was a non-technical person and he was not competent to revoke a ban imposed by Drug Licensing Board without approval of all its seventeen members.