KP to Launch Mobile Drug Testing Labs Next Week
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will introduce five advanced mobile drug testing labs next week to strengthen the monitoring of medicines and detect substandard, counterfeit and suspicious drugs in markets across the province.
Adviser to the governor on health and population Nigar Johar Khan reviewed the newly equipped laboratory vans during her visit to the Directorate General of Drug Control and Pharmacy Services on Friday.
The five mobile laboratories will be formally inaugurated at Governor House next Tuesday. During the visit, the adviser inspected various sections of the directorate and received a briefing on its regulatory functions, drug quality monitoring and measures to ensure the availability of safe medicines.
Mobile drug testing labs: how they will work
The mobile laboratories are equipped with modern Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Raman technologies to conduct preliminary on-site testing of medicines, including their chemical composition, ingredients and conformity with prescribed strength standards.
The vans will be deployed across different divisions of the province, enabling drug inspectors to examine medicines in markets and other locations. If the initial screening identifies suspicious or substandard medicines, inspectors will collect samples and send them to the Drug Testing Laboratory in Peshawar for detailed analysis and further action.
The on-site model matters because it cuts the wait. In the past, a suspect medicine had to travel to a central laboratory before anyone knew whether it was safe. The vans bring the first test to the market itself.
FTIR and Raman are both ways of reading a medicine’s chemical fingerprint without destroying the sample. FTIR measures how a sample absorbs infrared light, while Raman measures how laser light scatters off it. Together, they let an inspector check whether a tablet or syrup holds what its label claims, and whether its strength matches the prescribed standard. That check happens in minutes, at the market, rather than after a long wait for a laboratory result.
Why the labs matter
Fake and substandard medicines are a long-running problem in Pakistan. They put patients at risk, waste money and erode trust in pharmacies. Fifteen medicines were found substandard or counterfeit in Karachi, showing that the problem reaches the country’s largest city as well as its smaller markets.
Medicine pricing is also in focus as 86,000 drugs go digital, with the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan pushing a track-and-trace system to follow medicines from factory to pharmacy. The mobile labs add a field check to that paper trail.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s health system has been under strain this year. Dengue cases have put pressure on hospitals in Kohat and other districts, and the province’s drug inspectors cover wide areas with limited staff. Vans that can test on the spot give them a faster way to act.
What happens next
The formal inauguration at Governor House next Tuesday will put the five vans into service. After that, the test will be how often they are out in the markets, how many samples they screen and how quickly suspect stock is pulled from shelves.
For patients, the change is simple: a medicine bought in a KP market will be more likely to have been checked. For sellers of fake drugs, the risk of being caught at the counter goes up.
Frequently asked questions
How many mobile drug testing labs is KP launching?
Five advanced mobile drug screening laboratories will be introduced next week, and they will be formally inaugurated at Governor House next Tuesday.
What technology do the vans use?
The vans are equipped with Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Raman technologies for preliminary on-site testing of a medicine’s chemical composition, ingredients and strength.
What happens to a suspect medicine?
If initial screening finds a medicine suspicious or substandard, inspectors collect samples and send them to the Drug Testing Laboratory in Peshawar for detailed analysis and further action.
Why are mobile labs needed?
They let drug inspectors test medicines on the spot in markets across the province, instead of waiting for samples to travel to a central laboratory. That speeds up action against substandard and counterfeit drugs.
