Advertisement of opening medical stores through Category B is illegal; Dr. Shabbir RPH

(Publish from Houston Texas USA)
(By Muhammad Mansoor Mumtaz Lahore)
Former Press Secretary Pakistan Pharmacists Association Punjab, Dr. Shabbir RPH, has said that advertisement regarding opening or supervision of medical stores through pharmacy technicians or available pharmacists (Category-B) is completely illegal, misleading and dangerous to public health.
He said this referring to the official notification (No. PCS-010/2026) issued by the Sindh Pharmacy Council on January 16, 2026, which clearly warns that any such claim regarding Category-B has no bearing on the law. According to the notification, only registered Category-A pharmacists are legally qualified and authorized to run and supervise a medical store or pharmacy.
Dr. Shabbir RPH said that this clarification by the Sindh Pharmacy Council is in line with pharmacy laws and international standards and will help in curbing misleading advertising across the country.
He pointed out that several Category-B pharmacy technician institutions in Punjab are giving the message “Get Category-B and open your medical store” through rickshaws, wall chalking, banners and newspaper advertisements, which is tantamount to deliberately misleading the youth and the public.
Dr. Shabbir RPH warned that this irresponsible advertising campaign ultimately leads to illegal sale of Schedule-G drugs, narcotic drugs, antibiotics and injections, although medical stores are not allowed to sell such drugs under the Punjab Drug Rules 2007.
According to him, these illegal activities have resulted in serious threats to public health, including antibiotic resistance, drug proliferation and unsafe injections.
Dr. Shabbir RPH also acknowledged the fact that there is an imbalance in the number of medical stores and pharmacists, as many pharmacy graduates avoid entering the retail pharmacy sector in search of better opportunities.
He stressed that the solution to this problem is not to make pharmacy technicians a substitute for pharmacists, but to make retail pharmacy attractive, introduce cluster supervision models and promote a pharmacist-led system.
Speaking about the 18th Constitutional Amendment, Dr. Shabbir RPH said that it is a positive example of provincial autonomy, however, it is imperative to keep the health sector above politics. He urged all provinces to set uniform minimum standards for pharmacy practice in consultation with each other so as to establish an effective and safe national health system.
Finally, Dr. Shabbir RPH said that provincial pharmacy councils, regulators and the Pakistan Pharmacists Association must work together to take practical and effective steps to protect public health.