Six brands of auto-disable syringes collected by drug inspectors from different districts of Sindh have been declared substandard by the Drug Testing Laboratory Sindh after their reuse prevention feature failed during testing, official laboratory reports show.
According to test reports issued on May 20, 2026, the samples complied with several physical and technical parameters, including appearance, graduated capacity, scale printing, barrel dimensions, piston fit, leakage, lubricant and dead space. However, all six samples failed the key self-destructive performance, auto disability and reuse prevention feature test.
The reports state that when standard force was applied on the plunger to move its extreme end towards the nozzle and the plunger was pulled back, “it should not come without breaking.” In all six cases, the result did not comply with the standards.
The samples were received by the Drug Testing Laboratory Sindh, Karachi, from provincial drug inspectors in Khairpur, Hyderabad, Karachi Korangi and Sukkur between May 4 and May 5. The reports were signed by Syed Adnan Rizvi, Testing Laboratory Sindh director.
The laboratory reports have been forwarded to the relevant provincial drug inspectors and the Quality Control Board Sindh secretary as well as the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap) for further action.
Health officials say failure of the auto-disable mechanism in syringes is a serious public health concern because the very purpose of such syringes is to prevent reuse after one injection. They said reused syringes can become a major source of blood borne infections, including HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C, particularly in settings where infection prevention and injection safety practices are weak.
Officials said the findings would require regulatory action under the relevant laws and rules, including market verification, stock inspection and further proceedings by the competent authorities.
