Minister for Science and Technology Chaudhry Fawad Hussain on Friday shared a list of hand sanitisers that do not meet international standards.

Fawad said Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority collected samples of 23 brands and after testing, it concluded that they are not in conformity with the quality benchmarks set by the World Health Organisation.

"We have advised the health authorities to remove them from stores," the minister said.

Since the coronavirus outbreak in the country, demand for hand sanitisers has skyrocketed, providing an opportunity for sub-standard material to be produced and sold in the market.

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Authorities across Pakistan have launched a crackdown against the hoarders and producers of fake and adulterated cleaning gel.

To meet the growing demand amid the virus pandemic, the National University of Science and Technology has also developed high-quality sanitiser.

During a visit to the NUST on Thursday, Fawad asked the officials to expedite work on the commercialisation of the product to curb the sale of low-quality alternatives.