Lab flags nine cancer drugs as fake, substandard

Testing finds some samples lacked active ingredients while others were unregistered

KARACHI:

The Sindh Drug Testing Laboratory has declared nine medicines used in cancer treat-ment fake, substandard or unregistered after laboratory tests found that some samples lacked the required active ingredient while others carried no drug registration number, raising 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. Director Sindh Drug Testing Laboratory Syed Adnan Rizvi said laboratory analysis revealed that some of the cancer medicines did not contain the essential active ingredient required for treat-ment, making them potentially dangerous for patients. He added that some samples also lacked a Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) registration number, raising questions over their legal status and registration.

Rizvi 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 laborato-ry classified the sample as fake and unregistered.

He 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 pro-gression. Cancer patients already undergo complex treatment regimens, he said, and the use of counterfeit or ineffective medicines could further endanger their health.

Rizvi also alleged that some oncologists write the names of specific pharmacies on their pre-scriptions, 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 laboratory said its 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 monitoring of the registration, quality control and sale of cancer medicines. Patients and their families have called for strict action against those involved in the sale of fake and unregistered medicines and demanded the unin-terrupted supply of safe and quality-assured drugs for cancer patients.