Yesterday, the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) published the Notification of Amendments in the Drugs (Labeling and Packing) Rules 1986... formally announcing the implementation timeline under S.R.O. 963(I)/2026, issued on 9 June 2026.

This follows the Federal Cabinet's earlier approval of a nationwide Track & Trace rollout.

The official timeline:

Phase 1 9 October 2026 Secondary & primary pack barcode mandatory:

• GS1 Data-Matrix (2D) + serialisation required on secondary packaging
• Barcode mandatory on primary pack if sold directly without secondary packaging
• Imported drugs must be barcoded at a licensed local facility before market release

Phase 2 9 June 2032 Tertiary pack (logistic unit) SSCC mandatory:

• Homogenous products: GS1-128 encoding GTIN + batch/lot + expiry + SSCC
• Heterogenous products: GS1-128 encoding SSCC only on tertiary packaging

Applies to allopathic drugs only (including biologicals, human & veterinary use). Excludes alternate medicines, OTC non-drug, nutraceuticals, medical devices, medical gases, and radiopharmaceuticals.

Check Pakistan at #TraceHub country tracker https://tracehub.1dts.com/RegulationHub/Country?code=PK