Check Dydrogesterone Tablets and Nandrolone Injection Against DRAP's Spurious Alerts in Pakistan
DRAP rapid alerts 20 and 21 declared Dropha, Efaston, Depasrone tablets and Deka-Duralin injection batches spurious with 0% active ingredient. Check your batch.
Short answer: DRAP rapid alerts 20 and 21 (14 April 2026) declared four hormone products spurious: Dropha batch DRP-0011, Efaston batch 4116, Depasrone batch 2648 (all 10 mg dydrogesterone tablets) and Deka-Duralin 100 mg/ml injection batch H-191. The lab found 0% of the active ingredient in each.
Hormone medicines are the kind people take on a doctor's advice, often for months. If the tablet has nothing in it, nothing alerts you at first. It looks right and it tastes of nothing. The harm comes later, when the condition it was meant to treat is not treated.
We read Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) rapid alerts I/S/04-26-20 and I/S/04-26-21 on dra.gov.pk on 14 October 2026. The Drug Testing Laboratory of the Punjab government found all four batches spurious. This page repeats the alerts. It is not medical advice.
Three dydrogesterone tablet batches had no active ingredient
Alert 20 names Dropha Tablets batch DRP-0011, Efaston Tablets batch 4116 and Depasrone Tablets batch 2648. Each is a 10 mg dydrogesterone tablet. For all three the lab report reads: API not detected, assay 0%, fails identification and dissolution.
API means active pharmaceutical ingredient, the part that does the work. An assay of 0% means the lab measured none of it. Fails identification means it could not be identified as the labelled medicine. Fails dissolution means it did not dissolve as a proper tablet should.
| Product | Batch | Maker claimed on the pack | Lab result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dropha Tablets 10 mg | DRP-0011 | Himax Pharmaceutical, Karachi | API not detected, assay 0% |
| Efaston Tablets 10 mg | 4116 | Lahore Chemical and Pharmaceutical Works, Lahore | API not detected, assay 0% |
| Depasrone Tablets 10 mg | 2648 | Alpine Laboratories, Karachi | API not detected, assay 0% |
| Deka-Duralin Injection 100 mg/ml | H-191 | Hansel Pharmaceuticals, Lahore | Spurious, API not identified, assay 0% |
One nandrolone injection batch was also declared spurious
Alert 21 names Deka-Duralin Injection 100 mg/ml, a nandrolone decanoate product, batch H-191, with Registration No. 074187. The claimed maker is Hansel Pharmaceuticals, Lahore. The lab found the product spurious, with the active ingredient not identified and an assay of 0%.
The word spurious in a DRAP alert means the product is not what it claims to be. DRAP also calls such products falsified. The alert says the claimed maker is named on the pack. It does not say the named company made it.
That is why the alert says "claimed manufacturer". The names on a fake pack can be real companies. Do not blame the company on the box. Look at the batch.
DRAP warns of complete treatment failure
The alert for the tablets says a product with no active ingredient may cause treatment failure with serious results, including unmanaged hormonal conditions and pregnancy-related complications. The alert for the injection warns of complete treatment failure and serious health risks.
DRAP does not tell patients what to do with a medicine they already hold. It tells its field force to act. So the sensible step is to check the batch, stop if it matches and talk to the doctor who prescribed it. Do not stop a prescribed hormone medicine without asking, unless your batch matches the alert and you have another supply arranged with your doctor.
Check your pack in five steps
Find the brand, the strength and the batch number on the pack. Compare all three with the table. A match on brand alone means nothing, because only these batches were tested and named. If all match, stop and call your doctor.
- Read the brand name and the strength on the strip or ampoule box.
- Find the batch number, often marked B.No. or Batch.
- Compare with the table. All three details must match.
- If they match, keep the pack and call your doctor or pharmacist.
- Report the product to DRAP.
Our page on how to check if a medicine batch has been recalled shows how to find newer alerts. To see if a medicine is registered at all, use the steps to check a medicine is registered with DRAP.
Buy from a licensed pharmacy and keep the receipt. In Punjab you can check if a pharmacy is licensed. A pregnancy injection has had its own DRAP action, as our page on whether your pregnancy injection is 17-OHPC explains.
Report a suspected fake
The nandrolone alert says to report adverse events to national or provincial pharmacovigilance centres on the adverse event form, or online at the WHO-UMC Pakistan reporting page. For a suspected fake product, DRAP also takes quality complaints at gsms@dra.gov.pk.
Our page on how to report counterfeit medicine to DRAP covers the form. Keep the pack and the receipt. Take a clear photo of the batch number and expiry date.
Common questions
Is every Efaston or Dropha tablet fake?
No. The alert names single batches: 4116 for Efaston and DRP-0011 for Dropha. Other batches are not named. Always check the batch number.
What does assay 0% mean?
It means the lab measured none of the active ingredient in the sample. The product had nothing of the medicine it claims to contain.
Who found these products?
The Drug Testing Laboratory of the Government of Punjab found them. DRAP then issued the rapid alerts.
Should I stop my hormone tablets today?
Check the batch first. If it matches, stop using that pack and ask your doctor what to do. If it does not match, the alert does not apply to your pack.
Does the alert say the named companies made the fakes?
No. The alerts say "claimed manufacturer", meaning the name on the pack. The pack may be a copy.
Is the nandrolone product sold over the counter?
The alert does not say how it was sold. A hormone injection should be given on a doctor's advice.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked on 14 October 2026, Pakistan time. We read DRAP rapid alert I/S/04-26-20 and DRAP rapid alert I/S/04-26-21. The tablet alert gave no manufacturing or expiry dates in the part we read. We did not test any product. This page is not medical advice. Check the DRAP site or call 0800-03727 before you act.
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.
