Assessment of compliance to packaging laws in Pakistan by local and international tobacco manufacturing companies.

Background: Tobacco control law is one of the most effective means of controlling the widespread use of tobacco. However, enforcement of this law in Pakistan is weak.

Aim: To analyse compliance to cigarette packaging laws by tobacco brands in Pakistan.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in August and September 2022. We collected data on tobacco packaging of 100 cigarette brands from 24 outlets selling cigarettes in different parts of Karachi, Pakistan. To assess compliance, we scored the products on a scale of 0-5, based on regulations issued by the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordinations.

Results: Fifty-five of the 100 assessed brands were manufactured locally and 45 were imported. Only 28% of the brands fully complied to the packaging law. Although 54.5% of the brands had a 4/5 score for the presence of pictorial warnings on the packaging, the sizes of pictorial warnings did not cover up to 60.0% of the total package area in most cases. More than 85.0% of the brands severely lacked the placement of a small health warning on the side of the box, and 5 products did not have this warning at all.

Conclusion: Adherence to tobacco packaging law in Pakistan is poor, as majority of the brands lacked at least one component of the regulations. Pakistani authorities need to strengthen monitoring and enforcement of the law to ensure compliance by tobacco manufacturing companies.