DRAP Alert 51: Flecainide, Modafinil and Mysoline Batches Declared Unregistered in Pakistan

Short answer: DRAP issued Rapid Alert 51 on 5 November 2026. The Central Drugs Laboratory in Karachi declared three foreign-made medicine batches "unregistered" in Pakistan: Flecainide Acetate 50 mg tablets batch FDAG020 (Brown & Burk, UK), Modafinil 200 mg tablets batch MDSB25008A (Milpharm, UK) and Mysoline 250 mg tablets batch 4626 (made in Italy). DRAP tells patients not to use them and to contact their doctor.

These are not cheap street products. They are medicines that people take every day for the heart, for sleep disorders and for seizures, often bought from shops that sell imported stock. We read DRAP's alert on 6 November 2026. Here is what it covers, why "unregistered" matters, and what a patient should do before changing anything.

DRAP Alert 51 names three imported medicine batches

Rapid Alert 51, numbered No I/S/11-05-51, lists three batches that the Central Drugs Laboratory (CDL) Karachi declared unregistered. Each one names a foreign maker, two in the United Kingdom and one in Italy, and each has an exact batch number.

The CDL is the federal medicine testing laboratory in Karachi. It tests samples sent by DRAP and drug inspectors. Our page on which laboratories test suspect medicines explains its role.

Check the batch number on the strip or the box. It is usually printed next to "Batch", "Lot" or "B. No." along with the expiry date. A pack with a different batch number is not named in this alert.

Unregistered means DRAP never approved this pack for sale

Unregistered does not mean the laboratory found the tablets fake or empty. It means the product, as packed and sold, has no DRAP registration. Nobody in Pakistan has been checked as responsible for storing it properly, importing it legally or recalling it if something goes wrong.

DRAP's alert does not say the tablets failed a content test. It says only that the CDL declared them unregistered. Its risk statement says such products "may pose serious safety and quality concerns", including treatment failure and exposure to unknown safety risks.

That is the real problem with imported stock bought outside the registered chain. You cannot tell how long it sat in a hot shop, whether it is a real batch from the maker, or whether it was carried in a suitcase. Our guide to checking a medicine is registered with DRAP shows how to look up any product.

The alert was posted on the same day as Alert 50, which covers nine spurious eye, mouth and ear products from Karachi. We cover that one on its own page.

What to do if you take one of these medicines

Do not stop a heart or seizure medicine on your own. DRAP tells consumers not to use the named products and to contact their doctor. The safe order is: check the batch, call your doctor, then switch to a registered supply under their advice.

1. Find the batch number on your strip or box and compare it with the table above.
2. If it matches, call or visit the doctor who prescribed it. Tell them the batch and where you bought it.
3. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for a registered product with the same medicine, and buy it from a licensed pharmacy.
4. If you had any side effect or felt the medicine was not working, report it using our guide to reporting a medicine side effect to DRAP.
5. Keep the pack and receipt. DRAP's helpline is 0800-03727, Monday to Friday, 8 am to 4 pm.

Flecainide is a heart rhythm medicine. Mysoline is a brand of primidone, a medicine for seizures. Modafinil is used for some sleep disorders. For the first two in particular, a gap in doses can be risky, which is why the doctor comes before the switch, not after it.

Bringing a medicine from abroad for your own use

If you need a medicine that is not sold in Pakistan, there is a legal route. DRAP issues a no objection certificate for importing a medicine for personal use. It is how patients bring in a supply for their own treatment without relying on unregistered shop stock.

Our guide to getting a DRAP NOC to import personal-use medicine lists the papers. That route covers you, not a shop. A pharmacy selling imported packs that are not registered is what this alert is aimed at.

DRAP has asked provincial drug inspectors to search the supply chain and seize the products, and asked doctors and pharmacists to report any harm or quality problem to the pharmacovigilance centres. Pharmacovigilance means tracking the harm medicines cause once they are in use.

Common questions

Which medicines are in DRAP Alert 51?

Flecainide Acetate 50 mg tablets batch FDAG020, Modafinil 200 mg tablets batch MDSB25008A and Mysoline 250 mg tablets batch 4626. The CDL Karachi declared all three unregistered.

Is all flecainide or modafinil in Pakistan banned now?

No. The alert names three specific batches from named foreign makers. Registered products from licensed sources are not covered by it.

Were the tablets found fake?

The alert does not say so. It says the CDL declared them unregistered, meaning they have no DRAP approval for sale in Pakistan.

Should I stop taking Mysoline at once if my batch matches?

Talk to your doctor first. Do not simply stop a seizure or heart medicine. Your doctor can move you to a registered supply safely.

When was Alert 51 issued?

DRAP dated it 5 November 2026 and posted it on its recall alerts page the same afternoon.

Where can I see every DRAP alert this year?

Our full list of DRAP alerts in 2026 gathers them, and DRAP posts each one on its recall alerts page.

How we verified this

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

Last checked on 6 November 2026, about 3 pm PKT. The batches, makers, CDL finding, risk statement and advice are from DRAP's Rapid Alert 51 page, posted on 5 November 2026. The helpline is from the DRAP website. We did not test, buy or handle any of the medicines.