What happened
The federal cabinet approved the nationwide rollout of a track-and-trace system for pharmaceutical products, Health Minister Mustafa Kamal announced on 2 June 2026.
According to an official handout, the cabinet also approved amendments to the Drug Labeling and Packing Rules to permit what it described as a modern digital mechanism for tracking and verifying medicines across the supply chain. Under the framework, all pharmaceutical manufacturers and importers will be required to place standardised 2D barcodes and serialisation data on medicine packaging.
The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) will supervise the implementation and issue technical guidelines to help the industry comply, the statement said. It added that consultative meetings with stakeholders had already been held to support the transition.
Why it matters
The system is intended to let regulators follow a medicine from production to consumption and to help identify and remove fake products from the market. The handout said consumers would be able to obtain authentic information about a medicine’s expiry date, price and verification status once the system is in place.
Kamal described the decision as a major step against counterfeit, fake and substandard medicines. “For the first time, every medicine in the country will be digitally traceable and verifiable, ensuring greater transparency, safety, and accountability,” he said in the official statement. He added that the move would strengthen the security and quality of the pharmaceutical supply chain and position Pakistan among the region’s more advanced regulators.
The announcement builds on earlier state efforts to tighten oversight of the medicines trade, including the April 2026 move to curb the online sale of unregistered medicines covered by KhabarWire here. The handout did not give a timeline or a cost estimate for the nationwide rollout, and the compliance burden on smaller manufacturers and importers remains to be detailed in DRAP’s technical guidelines.
Sources & reporting notes
This is a summary of published reporting, not independent reporting. Details and quotations are as carried by the cited sources and the government handout they describe. Sources reviewed on 2026-06-02.
- Pakistan Today — "Cabinet clears nationwide track and trace system for medicines"2 June 2026 · Reports the cabinet decision, the amended labelling rules, the role of DRAP and the health minister's remarks.
- Dawn — "Federal cabinet approves track and trace system to eliminate counterfeit medicines"2 June 2026 · Official-handout account of the approval and the intended consumer benefits.
