How to Check a Clinical Trial Site Is DRAP Approved Before You Join in Pakistan

Short answer: Before you join a clinical trial in Pakistan, ask for the DRAP approval and the trial's NCT registry number. Then search DRAP's list of approved clinical trial sites, which names 71 licensed sites, and match the hospital. DRAP regulates trials under the Bio-Study Rules 2017.

A clinic offers you a new treatment for free, or a fee for joining a "study". It sounds like a chance, and sometimes it is. A clinical trial is research on people, and the rules exist to protect those people. We opened DRAP's clinical trial pages on 15 October 2026, and we downloaded and read its list of approved trial sites, dated 12 February 2026.

A clinical trial is research on people that DRAP must oversee

DRAP says a clinical trial is a research study of therapeutic products in humans. It tests their effects, their side effects, or how the body absorbs and clears them. The products can be drugs, vaccines, herbal products, homeopathic products or medical devices.

DRAP regulates trials under the Bio-Study Rules 2017. Its Clinical Studies Committee checks that the rights, safety and well-being of participants are protected before a trial starts. The committee also checks that the data will be reliable. It can inspect trial sites and the research companies that run them.

So a real trial has an approval, a registered site and a named doctor in charge. If a person cannot show these, you should not enrol.

DRAP publishes four lists of approved trial bodies

DRAP's Approved Sites and Centers page links four PDF lists, all revised on 12 February 2026. One covers clinical trial sites. The others cover contract research organizations, bio-analytical laboratories, and bioequivalence and bioavailability study centres.

A "contract research organization" is a company hired by the sponsor to do part of the trial work. It is not the hospital where you would be treated. The site list is the one a patient needs most.

Each entry in the site list shows a licence number, the hospital name and address, the scope of the licence, the date of issue or renewal, the expiry date and a status. The scope is either "Generalized" or "Trial Specific". A trial-specific licence appears to cover a named study rather than the whole hospital.

Check the hospital in five steps

The check takes about ten minutes. Do it before you sign anything, and before you stop any current treatment. Ask the research team for the hospital's full name and the trial's title first, so that you search for the right entry.

1. Ask the team for the trial title, the sponsor, the named principal investigator and the DRAP approval.
2. Ask for the trial's NCT number, the identifier from the international trial registry.
3. Open DRAP's Approved Sites and Centers page and download the clinical trial sites list.
4. Find the hospital, match the address and read the scope, the expiry date and the status.
5. Take the consent form home, read it, and ask a doctor you trust before you sign.

DRAP says sponsors register approved trials on the U.S. National Trial Registry and then get an NCT identifier, which they pass to DRAP's Division of Pharmacy Services. DRAP keeps its own registry under Rule 20 of the Bio-Study Rules. So an NCT number is a proof you can look up yourself.

Read the status and the dates, not just the name

A hospital name on the list is not enough. The licence has a start date and an expiry date. In the file we read, many sites show "Valid" with expiry dates in 2027 or 2028. Some rows list several renewal dates, so read the latest dates and the status, not only the name.

The list is also not a guarantee. DRAP's own page says the lists are published for information and feedback. It says they may not be used as a reference for any other purpose, including a legal claim. It also says they cannot replace proof that a licence is valid. So treat the list as the first check, then ask DRAP.

For example, the first entry on the site list, CTS-0003, is a clinical trial unit at a Karachi university hospital, shown as Generalized, issued on 9 October 2025 and expiring on 8 October 2028. That is the kind of row you want to see for your hospital.

Know your rights as a participant

Ask every question before you sign, and read the consent form at home. DRAP's page on serious adverse events says the principal investigator must report any adverse event linked to a trial to the sponsor, to the ethics committee and to DRAP.

An adverse event is any harm or bad reaction during the trial. If you feel unwell, tell the research team at once, and then see a doctor. If the team does not respond, you can report to DRAP. The steps for reporting a reaction are in how to report a medicine side effect to DRAP.

If you think a doctor or hospital caused you harm, the route depends on your province. The Punjab route is in filing a medical negligence complaint with the Punjab Healthcare Commission. For a clinic in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, see checking a clinic, lab or hospital is licensed.

Check the doctor and the product too

The site is one part. The doctor in charge should be registered. You can confirm that in two minutes with PMDC's online register. A trial doctor who is not registered is a reason to walk away.

We found no DRAP rule on our pages that lets a trial product be sold to patients. If someone offers you a "trial drug" for a price, be careful, and ask the team in writing who supplies it. If the offer looks wrong, tell DRAP, and read how to report counterfeit medicine.

Common questions about clinical trials in Pakistan

Who approves clinical trials in Pakistan?

DRAP does, through its Clinical Studies Committee under the Bio-Study Rules 2017. The Division of Pharmacy Services reviews applications and presents summaries to the committee.

Where is the list of approved clinical trial sites?

It is on DRAP's Approved Sites and Centers page under Clinical Trials Oversight. The site list we read was revised on 12 February 2026 and names 71 sites.

What is an NCT number?

It is the identifier a trial gets when it is registered on the U.S. National Trial Registry. DRAP says sponsors must obtain it and inform DRAP.

Can I leave a clinical trial after I join?

The DRAP pages we read do not set out exit rules. Ask for the consent form and read what it says about leaving before you sign.

Do I have to pay to join a trial?

We found no fee rule on DRAP's pages. Ask the research team in writing what you pay and what you receive. Be careful of any offer that asks for money for a trial drug.

Who do I tell if a trial harms me?

Tell the research team first, then your own doctor. The investigator must report serious adverse events to the sponsor, the ethics committee and DRAP.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked 15 October 2026. The definition, the Bio-Study Rules, the registry rules and the serious adverse event duty come from DRAP's clinical trials oversight pages. The site count and example row come from DRAP's list of approved clinical trial sites, revised 12 February 2026, which we downloaded and read on 15 October 2026. The contract research organization figure is our count of that list's entries. We did not contact any hospital or trial team. DRAP can revise its lists at any time.