Medicine recall alerts in Pakistan: Davdax injection batches DDI132, DDI133 stopped

The newest alert, on 25 September, pulls two batches of Davdax dexamethasone injection in Punjab. Two days earlier, Punjab's labs flagged four batches including a syrup with too much ethylene glycol, the toxic solvent behind the contaminated-syrup deaths the WHO has warned about since 2022. This page lists every recall alert we have covered, newest first, so you can check the pack in your cupboard against one list.

Latest: 25 September 2026, Davdax dexamethasone injection

The Directorate of Drugs Control Punjab issued Drug Safety Alert No. 140/2026 on 25 September, ordering an immediate stop to sale, supply, dispensing and use of two batches of a steroid injection used widely in clinics and emergency rooms.

Pharmacies, wholesalers, distributors and hospitals must quarantine these batches and report their stock to the drug inspector. Anyone who received an injection from these batches is told to contact their doctor. Other batches of Davdax are not covered by this alert.

23 September 2026, four batches

Punjab health authorities told pharmacies, wholesalers, distributors and hospitals to stop dispensing these batches immediately and report stock to their drug inspector. Patients are told to stop using them, as they may pose a risk to health.

Manufacturers must recall the batches and submit an assessment and a corrective action plan.

Why the syrup matters most

Ethylene glycol and diethylene glycol are industrial solvents that sometimes get into syrups through contaminated glycerine or propylene glycol. They damage the kidneys, and children are most at risk. If anyone in your house has taken DryGlit from batch S13326 or S13426 and has vomiting, stomach pain, little or no urine, or drowsiness, see a doctor straight away and take the bottle with you.

How to check your medicine

1. Find the batch number on the box, strip, bottle label or ampoule. It is marked "Batch", "B. No." or "Lot", next to the expiry date.
2. Match it exactly. A recall covers only the batch numbers listed, not every pack of the same brand or salt.
3. If it matches, stop using it and return it to the pharmacy. Ask your doctor for an alternative before you stop a medicine you take every day.
4. Report a side effect to the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan through its adverse event reporting page, or to your district drug inspector.

Earlier alerts

16 September 2026, Drug Safety Alert No. 132/2026: Mecodax injection (mecobalamin) batch 176, expiry August 2027, and cetirizine dihydrochloride 10mg tablet batch BCT-005, expiry February 2027, both declared substandard. Full details: Punjab recalls Mecodax injection and cetirizine 10mg batches.

DRAP publishes national recall alerts, including those based on Punjab laboratory findings, on its product recalls page.