How to Check a Medicine Is Registered and Priced Right With DRAP

To check a medicine with DRAP, search its brand name or registration number on DRAP's free Registered Drugs Index. To check the legal price, search the same name on the PharmaPrice Index. Both work on a phone and need no login. Neither proves a pack is genuine, so also check the batch number against DRAP's alerts.

We ran both searches on 1 October 2026. Panadol Tablets 500mg came back registered to Haleon Pakistan Limited, registration number 101138, with a legal price of Rs 762.93 for a pack of 200 from 23 July 2026.

How to check if a medicine is registered with DRAP

Open DRAP's Registered Drugs Index and search by registration number, brand name or generic name. A registered medicine shows its company, status, composition and pack sizes. A wrong number returns "No Data Found", which is your first warning.

1. Find the registration number on the pack. It is usually printed as "Reg. No." on the outer box.
2. Open the index. The address is eapp.dra.gov.pk/WebProductIndex.php. DRAP's e-services portal at e.dra.gov.pk also links to it.
3. Type the number in the Registration No. box. Or type at least three letters of the brand name and pick from the list.
4. Match the details. The company, strength, dosage form and pack size should match the box in your hand.
5. Check the barcode number if shown. Some records list a GTIN, the 13 or 14 digit barcode number, for each pack size.

Our test showed how much the record holds. For registration 101138, it listed the company, its Jamshoro address, the contract manufacturer, the label claim of paracetamol 500mg, a 20 x 10 blister pack and the GTIN for the 200 tablet pack. When we typed a made-up number, 999999, it returned "No Data Found".

Read the status line too. Our Panadol record said "Reviewed", while an older 1976 record for a Panadol tablet said "Provisionally Active". DRAP's page warns that the list is provisional and may have errors, so a missing record is a reason to ask, not proof of a crime.

How to check the legal price of a medicine

Search the medicine on DRAP's PharmaPrice Index at e.dra.gov.pk/public/price. It shows the maximum retail price (MRP), pack size and the date the price took effect. It lists only essential medicines and low-priced drugs, because DRAP no longer fixes other prices.

A search for Surbex returned no price, although the brand is on the registered index. That is expected. Under DRAP's Drug Pricing Policy, as amended on 30 September 2024, only medicines on the National Essential Medicines List have regulated prices. The company sets the rest.

The July dates fit DRAP's yearly price adjustment. They are not the 15% medicine price rise claimed in 2026, which DRAP never notified.

Pharmacy price rules you can rely on

A pharmacy may not charge more than the MRP printed on the pack. Loose tablets must be sold at the same rate per tablet. No one may stick a new price over the old one. These rules come from DRAP's Drug Pricing Policy, which we read on DRAP's site.

• Printed price is the ceiling. Paragraph 3(5) bars selling above the MRP on the pack.
• Loose sale is pro rata. Ten tablets from a 200 pack of Panadol should cost no more than one twentieth of Rs 762.93, about Rs 38.
• No stickers. Paragraph 3(6) bans stickers, overlapping or masking of prices by anyone, including the pharmacy.
• Old batches keep old prices. A yearly increase does not apply to batches made before it.

So a sticker on a box is a warning in itself. Ask for a pack with the price printed on it.

A registered number does not prove the medicine is real

Fake medicines often copy a real registration number. On 3 June 2026 DRAP warned about fake Novidat 500mg and Tonoflex-P tablets that carried genuine numbers, 011837 and 067163. Lab tests found 0.00 mg of the active ingredient in both.

So check the batch number as well. DRAP publishes rapid alerts on fake, or "spurious", products with the exact batch numbers, and it issued several in 2026, including ones for cancer medicines in July. Punjab's own recall of DryGlit, Trezine, Zinad and Bemin batches shows how often provinces add their own.

Look at the pack before you pay. These signs do not prove a fake, but each one is a reason to stop:

• No registration number, or one the index cannot find.
• A price sticker over the printed MRP.
• Spelling mistakes, faded print or a pack that looks different from your last one.
• Missing batch number, manufacturing date or expiry date.
• A price far below what other licensed pharmacies charge.

DRAP's advice to consumers is to buy only from licensed pharmacies and to ask the pharmacist when in doubt.

How to report a fake, unregistered or overpriced medicine

Report a quality problem or suspected fake on DRAP's "Report Quality Issues" form, and a side effect through its adverse event form. For overcharging or other complaints, use the Pakistan Citizen's Portal. DRAP's toll-free number, 0800-03727, takes shortage reports in working hours.

1. Keep the pack and the receipt. DRAP's form asks for the name, strength, registration number, batch number, dosage form, and manufacturing and expiry dates.
2. Stop using the medicine and see your doctor if you had any reaction.
3. File the report. The quality form is under Safety Reporting on dra.gov.pk.
4. Complain about the seller. A Citizen's Portal complaint reaches DRAP, and DRAP's complaints page also lists the Federal Ombudsman.

DRAP's alerts direct provincial drug control departments to seize fakes from the market. So a complaint about a local pharmacy may also go to your province's drug control department.

Common questions

How can I check if a medicine is registered in Pakistan?

Search its registration number or brand name on DRAP's Registered Drugs Index at eapp.dra.gov.pk/WebProductIndex.php. A registered product shows its company and pack details.

Where can I check the official price of a medicine?

On DRAP's PharmaPrice Index at e.dra.gov.pk/public/price. It covers essential and low-priced medicines only.

Why does my medicine have no price on DRAP's site?

Because DRAP fixes prices only for medicines on the National Essential Medicines List. Other prices are set by the company, but the printed MRP is still the most a shop may charge.

Can a pharmacy sell above the printed price?

No. DRAP's pricing policy bars sale above the MRP on the pack, and bars price stickers.

Is a medicine genuine if its registration number is on DRAP's list?

Not always. Fakes copy real numbers. Check the batch number against DRAP's rapid alerts too.

What is DRAP's helpline number?

DRAP lists 0800-03727 as its toll-free number, staffed in working hours.

How we verified this

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

Last checked 1 October 2026. We searched DRAP's Registered Drugs Index for Panadol, Brufen and Surbex and opened records 101138 and 000817, and tried a made-up number. We searched DRAP's PharmaPrice Index for Panadol, Augmentin and Surbex. We read DRAP's Drug Pricing Policy 2018 as amended, paragraphs 3 and 7, its complaints and safety reporting pages, and its rapid alert of 3 June 2026 on fake Novidat and Tonoflex-P. Prices change, so check the index on the day you buy. Nothing here is medical advice.