DRAP Fake Medicine Alerts for Winter 2026: Check These 7 Flu Vaccine, Antibiotic and Nasal Spray Batches

Every winter, the same medicines fill family cupboards: a flu shot, an antibiotic for a chest infection, a spray for a blocked nose. In 2026, the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) issued fake-batch alerts for all three kinds. We pulled the ones readers are most likely to meet this season from DRAP's 51 alerts so far in 2026, and we read each alert on DRAP's website. This list is only about specific batches. Other batches of these brands are not named.

DRAP named seven fake winter medicine batches in 2026

The seven batches below are two flu vaccines, four antibiotics and one nasal spray, from alerts dated March, June and October 2026. Where a laboratory tested them, it found the stated medicine missing. DRAP treats all seven as not genuine.

The "used for" column is our short description, not DRAP's wording. Your doctor decides what each medicine is for in your case.

Flu vaccines: Influvac Tetra P13 and Vaxigrip Tetra Y4B34 are fake

DRAP flagged two falsified flu vaccine batches within four days in October 2026. Vaxigrip Tetra Y4B34 was never imported or distributed in Pakistan, DRAP says. Influvac Tetra P13 was outside the legitimate supply chain, and it was being sold through online channels.

A case over Influvac Tetra P13 was registered by a drugs inspector in Lahore. DRAP warns that a falsified vaccine may give no protection. Check the box and the syringe label, usually marked Batch, Lot or B.No, before the injection is given, because you cannot check it afterwards. A nurse or pharmacist should let you see the pack. DRAP's findings are set out in full for the fake flu vaccine batches.

Antibiotics: four fake batches had no active medicine

Four antibiotics named by DRAP this year tested with none of the stated medicine in them. Augmentin YT9D, Velosef LX3E and Novidat 139N086 were tablets or capsules sold under well-known brands, and Caricef LLM034 had no cefixime at all.

A fake antibiotic is a real danger because the infection keeps going while the patient thinks it is being treated. The Caricef alert adds that the pack differed from the genuine one in printing, hologram, blister and label. These are details a pharmacist may spot and you may not. The alerts behind these are on Velosef and Augmentin and on Novidat and similar tablets.

One more point for this season. Colds and flu are caused by viruses, and NIH's cold and flu guidance lists no antibiotics for either. So using antibiotics safely can start with not buying one you were never prescribed.

Nasal spray: Nasomet FW-099 contains no mometasone

DRAP said on 19 October 2026 that Nasomet Aqueous Nasal Spray batch FW-099 is fake. The Central Drugs Laboratory in Karachi could not find mometasone furoate in it, and the named maker, Sante, says the batch is not theirs. It will not treat a blocked nose.

The registration number on the alert is 108661. Check the batch number on the bottle or box, since the rest of the pack may look right. This matters most in smog season, when people often use these sprays for weeks at a time. If your spray seems to have stopped working, read the batch before you assume the medicine has failed. DRAP's Nasomet warning has the details.

Check any winter medicine pack in five steps

Read the batch number and compare it exactly. Letters and digits both count. Buy only from a licensed pharmacy, keep the receipt and photograph the pack. If it matches an alert, stop using it, call your doctor and report it to DRAP.

1. Find the batch number on the box, strip, bottle or syringe, near the expiry date.
2. Compare it with the table above, and with DRAP's recall list for anything else.
3. If it matches, stop using it and keep the pack, because DRAP may want to see it.
4. Call your doctor if you have already used it, especially for a child, a pregnant woman or a long-term illness.
5. Report it. DRAP's fake medicine channels take suspect products, and side effects go to the National Pharmacovigilance Centre on 051-9255981.

Do not stop a treatment without medical advice if your batch does not match. A pack outside these batches is simply not named in these alerts. That is not the same as proof it is genuine, which is why the shop you buy from matters.

Common questions

Which flu vaccine batches are fake in Pakistan in 2026?

Influvac Tetra batch P13 and Vaxigrip Tetra batch Y4B34, according to DRAP's alerts of 30 and 27 October 2026.

Is all Augmentin in Pakistan fake?

No. DRAP named one batch of Augmentin 625 mg tablets, YT9D. The alert does not cover other batches.

I already took a fake batch. What should I do?

Tell your doctor, since the illness may not have been treated. DRAP's alerts tell patients to contact a doctor if they have had a problem, and to report the incident.

Where do I find the batch number?

On the box, strip, bottle or syringe label, usually marked Batch, Lot or B.No, and often near the expiry date.

Are there more fake medicines than these seven?

Yes. DRAP has issued 51 alerts in 2026 so far. These seven are the ones most likely to be used for winter illness, and we chose them for that reason.

Is a flu vaccine sold online safe to buy?

DRAP says the fake Influvac Tetra was sold through online channels. A vaccine must also stay cold in transit. Get it from a hospital or known clinic instead.

How we verified this

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

Last checked on 7 November 2026. We read DRAP's alert pages for Influvac Tetra, the four-product alert 43 and Caricef. This is general information, not medical advice.