KARACHI (Kashmir English): The Sindh Drug Testing Laboratory has declared nine medicines being used in cancer treatment fake, substandard or unregistered after laboratory tests found that some samples lacked the required active ingredient while others carried no drug registration number.
The revelation has raised serious concerns over patient safety. According to a report issued by the laboratory, the medicines found to be fake, substandard or unregistered include Cyclophosphamide 50mg tablets, Sorafenib 200mg, Anastrozole 1mg, Le-nalidomide 10mg capsules, Chlorambucil 2mg, Lenvatinib 10mg, Nintedanib 150mg, Lenvatinib 4mg and Gefitinib 250mg.
Cancer medicines
According to Director Sindh Drug Testing Laboratory, the analysis revealed that some of the cancer medicines did not contain the essential active ingredient required for treatment, making them potentially dangerous for patients.
He said that some samples also lacked a Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) registration number, raising questions over their legal status and registration.
He said one sample of Cyclophosphamide 50mg failed to show the presence of the required active ingredient during testing, while it also carried no drug registration number. The laboratory classified the sample as fake and unregistered.
Substandard cancer medicines
The Director warned that fake and substandard cancer medicines pose a grave threat to patients lives, as ineffective medicines could render treatment unsuccessful and increase the risk of disease progression.
Cancer patients already undergo complex treatment regimes, he said, adding the use of counterfeit or ineffective medicines could further endanger their health.
He also alleged that some oncologists write the names of specific pharmacies on their prescriptions, effectively compelling patients to purchase expensive cancer medicines from those outlets.
He stressed the need for strict monitoring of the sale, distribution and quality of medicines used in cancer treatment to protect patients from fake, substandard and unregistered drugs.
The drug testing laboratory said the findings had been forwarded to the relevant provincial drug inspectors and the secretary of the Sindh Drug Surveillance Board for further action.
The revelation has also raised fresh questions over the mechanism for monitoring of the registration, quality control and sale of cancer medicines.
The Sindh Drug Testing Laboratory has declared nine medicines being used in cancer treatment fake, substandard or unregistered after laboratory tests found that some samples lacked the required active ingredient while others carried no drug registration number.
