Big Change! Every Medicine in Pakistan Will Now Have a Barcode

Pakistan is preparing to roll out a nationwide medicine barcode system over the next two months in a major effort to strengthen patient safety and curb the circulation of counterfeit and poor-quality pharmaceuticals. According to Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal, the Health Ministry, along with concerned authorities, has completed the groundwork required for the new tracking mechanism. Once implemented, every registered medicine will carry a unique barcode, allowing authorities, pharmacies and consumers to verify its authenticity throughout the supply chain—from manufacturing facilities to pharmacy shelves. Officials believe this digital tracking system will significantly reduce the sale of fake medicines, improve transparency and ensure that patients receive safe and genuine treatments. The minister also highlighted that while Pakistan manufactures nearly 85 percent of its finished medicines locally, the pharmaceutical industry still relies heavily on imported raw materials, with the overwhelming majority sourced from China. He emphasized that expanding local production of pharmaceutical ingredients is essential to reducing dependence on imports, strengthening the country’s healthcare sector and improving long-term medicine security. The barcode initiative is being viewed as an important milestone toward building a safer, more reliable and technologically advanced pharmaceutical system across Pakistan.