The Directorate of Drugs Control (DDC) in Punjab has issued a public alert warning against the consumption of a specific batch of the widely-used antibiotic Azomax 250mg (Azithromycin) capsules.
The directive followed an official assessment by the provincial drug testing laboratory, which officially declared the product as “spurious”.
According to the official notification from the DDC, the affected product carries the batch number H5332 and has a recorded expiry date of July 2027.
Investigating authorities recovered these capsules from an unauthorized individual described as a drug peddler.
Following the seizure, the original manufacturer of Azomax inspected the items and confirmed that the recovered batch does not belong to its genuine manufacturing operations.
Punjab’s Drug Testing Laboratory formally categorised the batch as “spurious” under Section 3(zb)(i) of the Drugs Act, 1976, leading to immediate regulatory proceedings by the Provincial Quality Control Board.
As part of the regulatory response, the DDC instructed all market authorisation holders, importers and distributors to review their supply chains. The department also directed said entities to immediately report any suspicious or unauthorised distribution activities to the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP).
Furthermore, healthcare facilities, pharmacies, wholesalers and distributors received orders to halt the dispensing of batch H5332.
The government directed said institutions to isolate all existing stock of the batch and submit complete inventory and consumption records to the designated drug inspectors.
Provincial authorities also ordered increased market surveillance alongside enforcement action against any facilities failing to comply with the directive.
The public notice advised consumers to stop using Azomax 250mg capsules from batch H5332, and to buy pharmaceutical products only from licensed pharmacies and medical stores.
