Islamabad reissues ban on selling pregabalin without prescription

Islamabad's health department has restated the ban on selling pregabalin-containing medicines without a valid prescription, telling licensed pharmacies and pharmacists in the capital to follow the rule strictly.

The directive comes from the Pharmacy Services and Drug Control section of the Health Department Islamabad, which issued a public and pharmacists' alert. The section said the restriction is being enforced under directions issued on July 10, 2026.

Under the instruction, pharmacies may dispense pregabalin-containing medicines only against a valid prescription. The department said compliance was necessary to protect public health and to promote the safe use of medicines.

It also advised the public to consult qualified medical practitioners before obtaining prescription medicines and to follow medical advice on their use.

The alert was carried by both ProPakistani and UrduPoint, which reported that the capital's administration had reiterated the ban. Neither outlet gave figures on the scale of unregulated pregabalin sales, named individual pharmacies or said whether any enforcement action or inspections had followed the July directive.

Pregabalin is a prescription medicine used in the treatment of nerve pain, epilepsy and anxiety disorders. Health authorities in Pakistan have previously flagged its non-prescribed sale and misuse as a public health concern, though the latest alert did not set out new penalties or a fresh enforcement mechanism beyond the July 10 directions.

Pharmacists in the capital are bound by the licensing conditions of the drug control section, and the alert places the responsibility for checking prescriptions on the dispensing pharmacy. The department did not say in the alert how compliance would be monitored.

Patients who need the medicine have been asked to route their purchases through a qualified doctor's prescription rather than buying it directly from a counter.