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At least 113 heart patients died and 450 others were admitted to hospital in Lahore, Pakistan on Saturday after having a bad reaction to heart medicine, media in Pakistan reported.

During the last week of December 2011, the Punjab Institute of Cardiology, a government-run facility in Lahore - prescribed free heart drugs to more than 40,000 patients suffering from heart disease.

More than 2,000 cardiac patients who have already taken the drugs are thought to be still at risk.

Patients suffering from an adverse reaction were admitted to Jinnah Hospital, Mayo Hospital Lahore and the Punjab Institute of Cardiology.

The patients suffered from symptoms including vomiting of blood and acute lethargy, unidentified hospital sources were quoted as saying.

All the patients were from low-income groups that get free drugs from the state-run hospital of cardiology every month. A batch of the medicine delivered to the hospital in December was substandard.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik has ordered an inquiry into the suspected pharmaceutical companies. Drug inspectors who visited the drug firms said employees were not following official rules and regulations, and some drugs were made under unhygienic conditions.