8 Panadol Alternative Medicines You Can Buy in Pakistan

By Muhammad JuniadPublished On 06 Jan 2023

Pakistan currently faces a severe shortage of the commonly used over-the-counter (OTC) drug, paracetamol, amid its higher demand because of the rising number of dengue and coronavirus cases and waterborne diseases caused by the monsoon floods.

Resultantly, there is a nationwide shortage of Panadol and citizens are looking for alternatives as it is becoming increasingly hard to find the drug.

Paracetamol is manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) a leading drug manufacturer in Pakistan under the brand name ‘Panadol’.

Its sudden shortage has left people scrambling for alternative brands that produce the same drug under different names.

Following is the list of alternative drugs, produced by other local brands in Pakistan.

Here is the list of alternatives to Panadol’s pediatric dosage in Pakistan.

Experts have attributed the shortage of Panadol primarily to its high demand which has affected its production.

Ali Khizar, a journalist, has stated that the GSK manufactures over 450 million tablets of Panadol each month. However, the company’s production cost is higher than the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) set by the government, which is why it has lowered its production to a bare minimum, resulting in its scarcity.