The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has taken steps to improve the traceability of medicines, making barcode printing and unique serial numbers mandatory for pharmaceutical products.
Under the new system, unique serial numbers will be required on all pharmaceutical and biological medicines. The new requirements will apply to medicines manufactured from October 19, 2026, according to the notification.
Barcodes and unique serial numbers will have to be printed on medicine packaging. After the stipulated deadline, medicines without barcodes will not be allowed to be sold in the market.
The new system will enable the authorities to monitor medicines through a digital platform, maintaining a record of products from manufacturing through to their access by patients.
DRAP has directed the pharmaceutical industry to complete preparations for implementation of the new system. Training workshops will also be organized for pharmaceutical manufacturers in Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
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The workshops will be held for pharmaceutical manufacturers on the directions of the DRAP chairman.
The serialization framework applies to allopathic medicines, including biological products for human and veterinary use, according to analyses of the finalized regulatory requirements. It should therefore not be described simply as applying to every therapeutic product regulated by DRAP.
Categories such as alternative medicines, nutraceuticals, medical devices, medical gases and radiopharmaceuticals are outside the stated pharmaceutical serialization scope described for S.R.O. 963(I)/2026.
This distinction matters because reports saying “all medicines and all DRAP products” will require identical serialization can overstate the reach of the regulation.
