Six Fake Medicines Found in Karachi Lab Tests
Seven samples of six widely used medicines sold in Karachi have been declared counterfeit after laboratory tests found none of their stated active ingredients in them. The Sindh Drug Testing Laboratory issued the findings, and the companies whose names appeared on the packaging have denied making the products.
The medicines named in the laboratory reports are Augmentin 625mg, Velosef 500mg, No-Spa Forte 80mg, Mucon Suspension, Brexin tablets and Lexoberon Liquid. They are everyday medicines, the kind found in household cabinets and neighbourhood pharmacies across the city. That is what makes the findings serious: a patient taking one of these products would get none of the treatment the label promises.
The samples were declared counterfeit under the Drugs Act, 1976. The reports, issued by Syed Adnan Rizvi, director of the Sindh Drug Testing Laboratory Karachi and provincial government analyst, set out the test findings, the batch numbers and the responses from the manufacturers named on the packaging.
The six medicines named
The laboratory tested one sample each of five medicines, and two samples of the sixth. In every case, the active ingredient listed on the pack was not detected at all. This was not a case of a weaker dose or a minor variation. The ingredient that does the work was simply absent.
Augmentin 625mg showed no detectable amoxicillin trihydrate or clavulanic acid, the two components of the antibiotic. Velosef 500mg showed no cefradine, its antibiotic ingredient. No-Spa Forte 80mg contained no detectable drotaverine hydrochloride, the antispasmodic it is sold for.
Mucon Suspension failed on three counts at once: no oxethazaine, no aluminium hydroxide and no magnesium hydroxide were found. Brexin tablets showed no piroxicam beta-cyclodextrin, the pain relief ingredient named on the pack. Two samples of Lexoberon Liquid, from batches numbered 46292 and 43445, showed no sodium picosulfate monohydrate.
The companies deny making them
In each case, the company named on the packaging has disowned the product. GlaxoSmithKline Pakistan Limited denied manufacturing the Augmentin sample in a letter dated 24 September 2026, and denied the Velosef sample in a letter dated 9 September 2026. The same company also disowned the Brexin tablets in a letter dated 7 September 2026.
Hoechst Pakistan Limited disowned the No-Spa Forte sample in a letter dated 7 September 2026. Lucky Core Limited Pharmaceuticals denied manufacturing the Mucon Suspension sample, also in a letter dated 7 September 2026.
The pattern is consistent across all seven samples: a familiar brand name on the pack, a laboratory finding of no active ingredient, and a written denial from the company itself. That combination is why the laboratory declared the samples counterfeit rather than substandard. A substandard medicine is badly made. A counterfeit medicine is one that falsely claims an origin it does not have.
Why an absent ingredient matters
A medicine without its active ingredient does not merely work less well. It does not work at all for the condition it was bought to treat, while the patient believes they are being treated. An antibiotic with no antibiotic in it leaves an infection unchecked. A pain relief tablet with no pain relief ingredient leaves pain untreated. An antacid suspension with none of its three active components cannot neutralise stomach acid.
There is a second harm. When a patient does not improve, a doctor may assume the illness is resisting treatment, or switch to a stronger medicine, when the real problem was a fake product. That can lead to unnecessary treatment and extra cost for families already paying for medicines out of pocket.
The batch numbers matter here. The two failed Lexoberon Liquid samples carry batch numbers 46292 and 43445. Patients and chemists who hold stock with those numbers now have a concrete reference to check against, rather than a general warning.
What patients and chemists can do
The laboratory reports give patients something practical to act on. Keep the packaging and the batch number of any medicine you buy, and check it if a warning is issued. Buy from licensed pharmacies rather than unregulated sellers, and be wary of prices far below the usual rate for a branded medicine.
Chemists who find stock matching the named products and batch numbers should set it aside and report it through the proper drug regulatory channels, rather than returning it to the supply chain. The manufacturer denial letters, all dated in September 2026, show that the companies themselves are willing to confirm whether a product is theirs.
