Tag: drug

  • S. Korean actor Yoo Ah-in jailed for one year for drugs

    S. Korean actor Yoo Ah-in jailed for one year for drugs

    High-profile South Korean actor Yoo Ah-in was found guilty Tuesday of illegal use of the anaesthetic drug propofol and handed a one-year jail term, the Yonhap news agency reported.

    Yoo, whose real name is Uhm Hong-sik, was accused of using propofol on 181 occasions between 2020 and 2022. The drugs were administered at professional clinics, under the guise of having cosmetic procedures done.

    The prosecution had sought a four-year sentence for the “Hellbound” actor, but the Seoul Central District Court handed the 37-year-old a one-year jail term, Yonhap reported.

    “He is deemed guilty of all his purchases for habitual drug use,” the court stated in its ruling, according to Yonhap News TV.

    The court said Yoo had committed the offences “in disregard of relevant regulations” and displayed a “lack of caution against drug substances”.

    A doctor who administered propofol to Yoo without a proper prescription was fined 40 million won ($30,000) last month.

    Propofol, while primarily used as a surgical anaesthetic, is sometimes abused recreationally, often with the involvement of medical professionals who may be willing to provide it without a legitimate clinical need.

    An overdose of the drug was cited as the cause of pop star Michael Jackson’s death in 2009.

    “I am sorry for having caused concern to many people,” Yoo was quoted as saying in court by Yonhap.

    Yoo rose to stardom in the South following his debut in 2003, starring in a range of television dramas and films across genres, and becoming one of the country’s most recognisable actors.

    This trial marks the latest drug scandal to hit South Korea.

    In a similar incident, K-pop star G-Dragon faced allegations of drug use and was questioned by police, but the case was dropped in November due to insufficient evidence.

    Actor Lee Sun-kyun, known for his role in the Oscar-winning film “Parasite”, took his own life in December after being accused of illegal substance use, sparking public outrage over what many perceived as an excessive investigation by the police without substantial evidence.

    Lee Jae-yong, then vice-chairman of Samsung Electronics, was convicted in 2021 of illegally using propofol and was fined 70 million won. He was found guilty of repeatedly receiving the anaesthetic at a plastic surgery clinic in Seoul on numerous occasions over several years.

  • Lahore Traffic Police launches crackdown on drugged drivers, wardens to use alcohol detectors

    Lahore Traffic Police launches crackdown on drugged drivers, wardens to use alcohol detectors

    Lahore Traffic Police has initiated a crackdown on drug-impaired drivers. The operation is currently underway on major roads in Lahore, including Mall Road, Jail Road, and Canal Road.

    According to reports, traffic officers have been issued digital alcohol testers, which will be used on drivers to assess if they are drunk or high on narcotics.

    Anyone caught driving under the influence of drugs will face severe penalties under the motor vehicle ordinance.

    Lahore Traffic Police has also instructed motorists to drive at a speed of 40–60 km/h on the stated roads and to maintain a safe distance, especially during fog. It advised motorists to drive with low beams and avoid switching lanes frequently.

    Owing to dense fog and low visibility, traffic police prohibited entry on the Lahore Ring Road Eastern Bypass to the Sialkot Motorway on Sunday night.

  • Panadol production stopped in Pakistan, shortage expected

    The widely used over-the-counter (OTC) drug panadol and paracetamol may not be available in markets as the company that produced the brands has stopped production of both the drugs.

    Panadol is a generic drug used to treat fevers, minor pains such as headaches and vaccination shot ache.

    The company has cited cost-effectiveness for not manufacturing the drug anymore.

    The manufacturer, who has been requesting authorities to raise the price of Panadol, claims that production was no longer financially viable.

    According to the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Association of Pakistan, the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) reportedly issued a summary to the health ministry requesting an increase of Rs 1per tablet, but the federal cabinet rejected the document.

    The association says the manufacturer could not sell the medicine at less than the production cost.

    According to the pharmaceutical industry, the manufacturing of the tablets has been fully stopped.

    DRAP has been formally informed that some of the tablets sold by pharmacies are fraudulent.

    Panadol is among the highest selling medicine brands in the country, with demand for the drug being the highest in Punjab. The medicine comes in formulations meant for infants, children and adults. A sister brand named Panadol Extend is also part of the company’s products.

  • Much-awaited coronavirus drug ‘fails in first trial’

    Much-awaited coronavirus drug ‘fails in first trial’

    A potential antiviral drug for the coronavirus has reportedly failed in its first randomised clinical trial, Financial Times reported.

    According to reports, there had been widespread hope that remdesivir could treat the new coronavirus — COVID-19 — that has left at least 191,000 people dead and 2.7 million infected across the globe.

    But a Chinese trial showed that the drug had not been successful, according to draft documents accidentally published by the World Health Organization (WHO).

    The drug did not improve patients’ condition or reduce the pathogen’s presence in the bloodstream, it said.

    Researchers studied 237 patients, giving the drug to 158 and comparing their progress with the remaining 79. The drug also showed significant side effects in some, which meant 18 patients were taken off it.

    Interest in the drug, had been high as there are currently no approved treatments or preventive vaccines for COVID-19, and doctors are desperate for anything that might alter the course of the disease that attacks the lungs and can shut down other organs in extremely severe cases.

    The United States (US) firm behind the drug, Gilead Sciences, is testing it in multiple trials, and highly anticipated trial results from a study involving 400 patients hospitalised with severe cases of the illness are expected later this month.

    It says the WHO documents mischaracterised the study.

    Remdesivir, which previously failed as a treatment for Ebola, is being tried against COVID-19 because it is designed to disable the mechanism by which certain viruses, including the new coronavirus, make copies of themselves and potentially overwhelm their host’s immune system.

  • Police arrest woman for supplying drugs in a rickshaw

    Police arrest woman for supplying drugs in a rickshaw

    Police officials claimed to have arrested a woman along with her partner from the Sohrab Goth area of Karachi over charges of providing ice drug to posh areas and universities using an auto-rickshaw.

    As per reports, the woman used to sell ice and other types of drugs through rickshaw that was usually driven by her husband or son so that she could not be caught by the police

    The arrested woman, Gul Bibi, and her accomplice identified as Inayat used to smuggle ice drug from Balochistan.

    During the raid, the police team seized ice drugs and other narcotics from their possession. According to police, the gang had been arrested twice in the past while further investigation is underway.