Drug inspectors in Lahore have raided a location and seized a large stock of suspected counterfeit flu vaccines, arresting two people on the spot. The suspected product was a fake of Influvac, Abbott's flu vaccine, and the seized stock has been sent for laboratory testing to establish its exact nature. A case is being registered against the accused under the Drugs Act, 1976. Officials have not disclosed the exact raid location, the quantity seized or the suspects' identities.

A shortage that creates the opening

The seizure comes as genuine flu vaccines are in short supply across Pakistan, with products of leading multinational and Chinese manufacturers unavailable in the market. Abbott's and Sanofi's flu vaccines are currently not available; Abbott's vaccine might not be supplied at all this year, while Sanofi's might arrive only in limited quantity towards the end of November or in December, according to the office of the Chief Drug Controller Punjab.

Chinese vaccines that would normally fill the gap are also unavailable, with Sinovac and Shenzhen Innovax stocks exhausted after limited supplies ran out. Drug control officials have advised the public to buy flu vaccines only from licensed pharmacies.

Two different messages

There is a conflict in the official picture that readers should know about. Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal had days earlier rejected reports of a flu vaccine shortage, saying vaccines remain available despite specific multinational brands being unavailable. The reporting from Lahore, by contrast, describes a countrywide scarcity of the leading brands.

One caution matters: the seized vaccines are suspected counterfeit pending laboratory results, and have not been confirmed as fakes. The accused are presumed innocent until proven guilty. But the episode shows how a shortage of a trusted product creates exactly the gap that counterfeiters exploit.

Sources: The News and 365 News.