What a DRAP Emergency Use Authorisation Means for a Drug or Vaccine in Pakistan
Learn what a DRAP Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) means for a drug or vaccine in Pakistan: who grants it, who can get it, the holder's duties and what to ask.
An Emergency Use Authorisation, or EUA, is permission from DRAP's Registration Board for a drug or vaccine to be used because of an urgent public health need, mostly during pandemics, before it goes through normal registration. DRAP says EUA products are not marketed to the public. They go only to healthcare facilities and are used under the supervision of qualified specialist doctors.
The term came into everyday talk during Covid. It still matters, because a pack or a message that says "emergency use approved" does not mean the same as "registered and sold in pharmacies". We read DRAP's EUA page on 22 October 2026. It was last updated on 23 February 2022, so this guide explains the rules DRAP states, not today's list of products. This is not medical advice.
DRAP's Registration Board grants an EUA under Section 7 of the Drugs Act
DRAP says the Registration Board grants an EUA to drugs or vaccines that have adequate data on quality, safety and efficacy. It does so in view of public health need, and applications are evaluated on priority. The authority comes from Section 7 of the Drugs Act, 1976.
Efficacy means whether the product works. Safety means its risks. Quality means it is made to a proper standard. DRAP does not say the data are complete, only adequate for the emergency, so an EUA is a lower bar than full registration. That is our reading of the words, and DRAP's page does not use that phrase.
EUA products go to healthcare facilities, not to shop shelves
DRAP says EUA products are not for public marketing. They are supplied only to healthcare facilities and used under the supervision of qualified specialist physicians. So if a shop or an online seller offers an "EUA approved" injection to anyone who asks, DRAP's own page gives you a reason to be careful.
| Question | EUA product, per DRAP's page |
|---|---|
| Who grants it? | Registration Board of DRAP |
| Under which law? | Section 7, Drugs Act, 1976 |
| Why? | Public health need, mostly pandemics |
| Who can it be sold to? | Healthcare facilities only, not the public |
| Who supervises its use? | Qualified specialist physicians |
The holder of an EUA must keep checking quality and report problems
DRAP lists the duties of the company that holds the EUA. It must monitor quality regularly and submit quality data every quarter. It must distribute the authorised labelling to hospitals, and keep proper storage and a cold chain, meaning the fridge chain that keeps vaccines cool.
It must also report serious adverse events and medication errors to DRAP's pharmacovigilance centre and follow recall procedures. If you or a relative had a bad reaction, the steps in reporting a medicine side effect to DRAP apply. Tell the treating doctor first.
The page does not list which products hold an EUA today
This is the gap. The page gives no product list, no dates, no validity period and no way for the public to check the current status. It links to the Registered Drugs Index but does not say that index covers EUA products. We do not know, so we do not claim it.
- Ask the hospital or doctor which product is being used and whether it is under an EUA.
- Ask for the product name and batch number.
- Look the batch up in DRAP's recall alerts.
- For status or validity, call DRAP on 0800-03727, Monday to Friday, 8 am to 4 pm.
- Do not buy an EUA product from a shop or website that sells to the public.
The page does not say that the helpline handles
EUA questions in particular, so ask whoever answers to route you. Vaccines for children follow the regular schedule, which we explain in the baby vaccination schedule under EPI.Unregistered does not mean illegal, and registered does not mean harmless
An EUA is a lawful route for a particular emergency. Registration is the normal route. Neither removes the need to ask a doctor. And a medicine of either kind can still be copied: see what spurious, substandard and counterfeit mean for the three terms DRAP uses.
A simple rule helps when a message arrives on WhatsApp claiming a new injection or vaccine is "approved". Ask who gives it, where, and under whose care. If the answer is a hospital with specialist doctors, that matches how DRAP describes an EUA. If the answer is a courier, a beauty shop or a seller who wants cash and no questions, it does not match. Do not pay in advance, and do not inject anything yourself.
Common questions
What does Emergency Use Authorisation mean in Pakistan?
It is DRAP Registration Board permission for a drug or vaccine to be used because of urgent public health need, mostly in pandemics.
Can I buy an EUA vaccine at a pharmacy?
DRAP says EUA products are not for public marketing. They go only to healthcare facilities.
Is an EUA the same as registration?
No. DRAP treats it as a separate authorisation. The page does not compare the two in detail.
Who reports side effects of an EUA product?
The holder must report serious adverse events to DRAP's pharmacovigilance centre. Patients can report too.
Which products currently hold an EUA?
DRAP's page does not list them. Ask DRAP on 0800-03727.
How long does an EUA last?
The page does not say.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked 22 October 2026. We read DRAP's Emergency Use Authorizations for Drugs and Vaccines page, last updated 23 February 2022, and DRAP's home page for the helpline. We did not find a product list, validity period or current status on it, and we did not check any individual product. The DRAP page we read for medical devices EUAs was not opened. Rules can have changed since 2022.
About the author
Public Services and Education Journalist
Fajr Riaz is a journalist and content writer at Pakistan Era, based in Lahore. She covers the questions people meet in everyday life in Pakistan: how a public service works, what a change in the rules means, and where to find a reliable answer.
