DRAP makes barcodes mandatory on medicines from 19 October: what changes for you

From 19 October 2026, every allopathic medicine and biological product made in or brought into Pakistan must carry a barcode with a unique serial number on its pack. The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has notified the rule through S.R.O. 963(I)/2026, and after the deadline, medicines without the barcode will not be allowed on sale.

What changes on the pack

• Each pack gets its own 2D barcode holding a unique serial number, so a single box of tablets can be traced from the factory line to the pharmacy counter.
• The rule covers allopathic medicines and biological products (vaccines, insulin and the like) for both human and veterinary use.
• It does not cover alternative medicines (herbal, homeopathic, Unani), nutraceuticals and supplements, medical devices, medical gases or radiopharmaceuticals.
• It applies to medicines manufactured from 19 October. Stock already made before that date will stay on shelves until it sells out or expires, so you will see packs with and without barcodes side by side for a while.

The date has slipped once. When the federal cabinet approved the change to the Drugs Labelling and Packing Rules, 1978 in June, DRAP's timeline was 9 October; the SRO now sets 19 October.

What it means for you at the pharmacy

The point of serialisation is to catch fake and substandard medicines. A counterfeit pack either has no valid serial number, or reuses one that the system has already seen elsewhere. When DRAP's system is running, the plan is that you can scan the 2D code with your phone to check the medicine is genuine and see its expiry date and the official price.

That last part matters in Karachi, Lahore and smaller towns alike: overcharging above the printed maximum retail price is a common complaint, and a scannable official price gives you something to point to.

Until the consumer app is live, keep doing what works:

1. Buy from a licensed pharmacy and ask for a receipt.
2. Check the batch number and expiry printed on the pack.
3. Check the batch against DRAP's recall alerts before you use it. We keep them on one page: medicine recall alerts in Pakistan, including this week's DryGlit syrup recall.

What manufacturers have to do

DRAP has told pharmaceutical companies and importers to get their packaging lines ready and will run training workshops in Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association, the veterinary manufacturers' association and provincial drug controllers were notified in June.

Will medicine prices go up?

The SRO does not change any price. Serialisation adds a printing and data cost at the factory, and manufacturers may raise it in future price-review requests, but any increase still has to be approved under DRAP's pricing rules.

We will update this story when DRAP names the consumer verification app.