Dozen people in Pakistan go blind after taking Roche's cancer drug

Pakistan's drug regulator has temporarily banned the use of a cancer medication distributed by Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche pending an investigation, as 12 patients went blind after being injected with the drug.

In a statement on Monday, the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) said the health authorities in Punjab, the most populous province, had launched an investigation into the drug Avastin, which is licensed for use in Pakistan.

Javed Akram, the province's Minister for Specialised Health, said police were questioning two men they believe to be the drug's distributors in the state.

"A high-level committee has been constituted to probe the issue. A case has been registered against the distributor and his aide," Akram said.

Repeated calls to Roche Pakistan's spokesman were not answered. On its website, Roche said Avastin was approved in more than 130 countries, including the United States, to treat several types of cancer.

Alam Sher, Punjab's deputy drug controller who filed the police complaint against the distributors, told Reuters news agency that some companies buy Avastin and repackage it in smaller doses to make it more affordable for patients.

A sharp drop in the value of the local currency against the US dollar has inflated the price of drugs in Pakistan, as the finished product, or the constituents that go into locally made medicines, are imported.

Record-high inflation has also diminished the purchasing power of many people.