Punjab drug rules 2026 draw pharmacists' support, homeopaths' objection

Punjab's draft Drugs and Therapeutic Goods Rules, 2026 have drawn support from the Pakistan Pharmacists Association and opposition from homeopathic and Tibb practitioners, who say the proposed framework would bar them from supervising their own stores.

The Pakistan Pharmacists Association said the draft offered an opportunity to reform pharmacy services, professional responsibilities and patient care, and described its provisions as positive steps towards regulatory clarity and stronger professional standards.

According to UrduPoint, the draft sets out clearer distinctions between registered pharmacists and pharmacy technicians or assistants, revises drug classifications and prescription categories, and places greater emphasis on pharmacist-supervised dispensing and generic substitution. It also encourages digital pharmacy practice, electronic record-keeping and pharmacovigilance.

The association said it hoped the rules would go through constructive consultation and further improvement before they take effect.

Minute Mirror reported that the draft would exclude homeopathic doctors holding DHMS and BHMS degrees, and certified Tibb practitioners, from acting as qualified persons at homeopathic and herbal medicine stores and distributors operating under Form-12. An allopathic pharmacist registered under Register-A would supervise those outlets instead.

Dr Kashif Aslam Malik, chairman of the Pakistan Association of Alternative Medicine, criticised that provision, saying it threatened the future of alternative medicine in Pakistan. He questioned whether allopathic pharmacists hold the specialised knowledge of homeopathic medicines, including Materia Medica and potencies, that the work requires.

"Our demand is clear: allopathic pharmacists should not be appointed at alternative medicine stores and distributors. Qualified homeopathic doctors and Tibb practitioners must be recognised as the appropriate professionals for these establishments," Malik said, according to Minute Mirror.

The association also raised concerns over the draft's Schedule-E and Schedule-C provisions. Industry representatives said the requirements for specialised facilities and testing could add costs for small businesses. It said it would challenge the framework through legal channels.

Industry sources told Minute Mirror that thousands of homeopathic clinics, dispensaries, pharmacies and herbal medicine outlets across Punjab could lose their operating status if their existing arrangements do not meet the new requirements.

The rules remain a draft. Punjab has not said when it will finalise them, or whether it will amend the text in response to the objections.