How to Check a Medical Device Importer or Maker Is DRAP Licensed in Pakistan

Short answer: DRAP publishes two PDF lists of licensed medical device businesses. One names 99 local makers with licence numbers ELM-0001 to ELM-0099. The other names 1,472 importers with numbers from ELI-00001 to ELI-01474. Open the right list, search for the firm's name and match the licence number.

A glucometer, a blood pressure monitor, a syringe pack or a hospital bed all count as medical devices. They are not medicines, so the usual medicine checks do not apply to them. DRAP, the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan, keeps a separate licence system for the businesses that make and import them. We opened DRAP's medical devices pages on 15 October 2026, downloaded both lists and read them.

DRAP licenses the maker or importer, not every device on the shelf

The two lists show licensed firms. They do not list each device the firm sells. A firm on the list is allowed to make or import devices under the Medical Devices Rules 2017. A product from that firm still needs its own approval before sale.

DRAP's own page says an importer must first obtain an Establishment Licence to import medical devices before it can register an imported device. The Medical Device Board grants that licence. DRAP may also send a panel to visit the storage premises before it decides.

So the list answers one question well: is this business known to DRAP? It does not tell you that every box in the shop is approved. Treat a missing name as a warning and a listed name as a start.

Two lists cover local makers and importers

Use the local list for a Pakistani factory and the import list for a trader who brings devices in. Both are PDF files linked from DRAP's medical devices pages: the local makers list and the importers list. The prefixes differ: ELM is for makers and ELI is for importers.

The local list also names the approved section. For example, the first entry is a Sheikhupura firm approved for disposable syringes, IV cannulas and IV products. The last entry, ELM-0099, is an Islamabad firm approved to assemble glucometers, test strips and sphygmomanometers, which are blood pressure instruments. That "approved section" column tells you what the factory may make.

The import list shows the firm name and address with one or more licence numbers. Many firms hold several numbers. The first firm on it holds ELI-00001 to ELI-00005.

Search the list in five steps

The check takes a few minutes on a phone or laptop. You need the firm's full name and city from the invoice or the box. A trade name alone may not match, because the list uses the registered company name.

1. Open DRAP's Is It a Medical Device page and choose the local or import list.
2. Open the PDF and use the search function on your screen to find the firm's name.
3. Match the city and address with the invoice or the box.
4. Write down the licence number and the approved section.
5. Ask the seller to show the same number on a document if the name is missing or different.

If the name does not appear, try a shorter part of it, such as the first two words. Many entries start with "M/s", so search the name without it. The PDF is a text file, so it works with search. Still, a printed table can split a name across lines.

The lists we read carry a July 2025 date

Both PDFs sit in DRAP's July 2025 upload folder, and the server shows both as last changed on 1 July 2025. That is more than a year old. A firm licensed after that date may not appear yet. A firm that lost its licence may still be listed.

We also saw no expiry date or status column in either file. So a listing is a sign of a past licence, not a promise that the licence is valid today. Where the stakes are high, such as an implant or a hospital purchase, ask DRAP to confirm on its helpline, 0800-03727, open Monday to Friday, 8 am to 4 pm.

DRAP sorts devices by risk from Class A to Class D

The class tells you how closely a device is watched. DRAP's page lists four classes, from low hazard to high hazard. The higher the class, the more you should insist on proof before you buy.

A box of masks and a heart valve need very different care. For devices that go into the body, ask the surgeon or hospital for the importer's name and check it against the list before the day of the procedure.

What to do if the firm is not listed

Do not buy yet, and keep the invoice, the box and a photo of any label. Then ask the seller for the licence number. If you still doubt the product, tell DRAP. The steps are in how to report counterfeit medicine to DRAP, and the same channel takes a device complaint.

Syringes are the device most patients touch. DRAP issued recall alerts for some in 2026, and how to check an injection syringe at a clinic shows what to read on the pack. For medicine rather than devices, checking that a medicine is registered with DRAP is the matching step.

Common questions about DRAP medical device licences

Does DRAP publish a list of licensed medical device importers?

Yes. DRAP links a PDF titled List of Establishment License under MDR 2017 (Import). The copy we read lists 1,472 firms, with licence numbers up to ELI-01474.

Is there a list of local medical device makers?

Yes. The local PDF lists 99 licences, from ELM-0001 to ELM-0099, with the approved section for each factory, such as disposable syringes or glucometers.

Does a listed firm mean every device it sells is approved?

No. The list shows the firm's establishment licence. A device needs its own registration, so ask the seller for proof that the product itself is approved.

How old is the DRAP medical device list?

The files we read were uploaded in July 2025 and show a server date of 1 July 2025. They have no status or expiry column, so confirm with DRAP if it matters.

Who grants a medical device import licence?

DRAP says the Medical Device Board is the competent authority. The Medical Devices Division receives the application and may inspect the storage premises first.

Which DRAP number can I call?

DRAP lists 0800-03727, open Monday to Friday, 8 am to 4 pm. Its offices are in Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta.

How we verified this

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

Last checked 15 October 2026. The risk classes, the licence process and the helpline come from DRAP's medical devices pages at dra.gov.pk, which we opened on 15 October 2026. The firm counts, licence numbers and example entries come from the two PDF lists DRAP links there, which we downloaded and read on the same date. We did not contact any firm or test any device. The lists are dated July 2025, so a new or cancelled licence may not show.