The death toll in Pakistan's Punjab province from suspected drug reactions to heart medication appears to be growing.

Reports from Pakistan said Tuesday that close to 70 people have died in the past month, and many more have been admitted into hospitals after taking heart medication. All the patients died in the Lahore area.

Authorities have arrested the owners of at least two pharmaceutical firms that supplied the government-owned Punjab Institute of Cardiology with heart drugs, which were administered to the victims.

Punjab's government has formed a panel of medical experts to probe the reaction to several heart drugs that could have caused the deaths.

Health officials have withdrawn the suspected drugs and have sent samples for testing.

Dr. Javed Akram, who heads the government panel, said that the patients' drug reactions were marked by rapid depletion of bone marrow, white blood cells and platelets.