AN old article — “When the cancer drugs don’t work” (June 26) — continues to haunt me even today after so many months. It was based on investigative work by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, revealing that essential chemotherapy drugs used for treating breast cancer, leukemia and other severe illnesses, are being sold with inaccurate quantities of their key ingredients. These substandard cancer drugs are being shipped to over a hundred countries, including Pakistan. As a cancer patient, I am deeply concerned.
Patients like me rely on these medications during some of the most challenging times of their lives, with the belief that they are both effective and safe. Sadly, learning that certain cancer drugs may contain inconsistent dosages of their active ingredients — either too little or too much — is deeply alarming.
In Pakistan, there is no reliable way to verify if prescribed medicines meet quality standards. We place our trust in the healthcare system to protect us, but that trust faces setbacks in an already fragile environment when quality control mechanisms fail. How can doctors manage critical conditions if the doses are in-consistent? If the quality of medicine is compromised, what hope is there for recovery? Low-cost generic alternatives to the expensive originals cannot always be relied upon, but how can a pharmaceutical company at all manufacture and distribute a drug that is still under patent protection? This is a serious violation of intellectual property rights, as well as a significant threat to patient safety, since the copied formulations may lack critical testing and verification related to efficacy and safety.
The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap) and the national Intellectual Property Organisation (IPO) are under obligation to investigate these issues thoroughly. Patients deserve reassurance that the medicines they consume meet regulatory standards. Drap must diligently strengthen its quality control mechanisms, and test all generic drugs with vigilance. It is a matter of life and death for us, the patients.
The health authorities must thoroughly test cancer drugs, hold manufacturers and suppliers accountable, and strengthen oversight. Ensuring that patients receive quality treatment is vital. Cancer is merciless as it is, and suffering patients deserve to have a fair chance of treatment.
ABU BAKAR KAREEM
KARACHI
