.KARACHI (Web Desk) – The Sindh Drug Testing Laboratory has declared nine medicines used for cancer treatment as fake, illegal, unregistered or substandard, raising serious concerns over patient safety and the quality of life-saving medicines available in the market.
Speaking to Geo News, Director of the Sindh Drug Testing Laboratory Syed Adnan Rizvi said action had been initiated following the laboratory's findings.
According to Rizvi, laboratory tests revealed that some of the cancer medicines did not contain the required active pharmaceutical ingredient, making them ineffective for treating patients. He added that several products also lacked a Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) registration number, indicating they were being marketed without proper regulatory approval.
He further alleged that some oncologists mention the names of specific pharmacies on their prescriptions, leaving patients with little choice but to purchase medicines from those outlets.
Rizvi warned that fake and substandard cancer medicines pose a serious threat to patients' lives because ineffective drugs can compromise treatment outcomes and increase the risk of disease progression.
Health experts have repeatedly stressed the importance of purchasing medicines only from licensed pharmacies and ensuring that products are registered with DRAP to minimise the risk of counterfeit or unregistered medicines.
The latest findings have renewed concerns over the circulation of counterfeit medicines in Pakistan and highlight the need for stricter regulatory oversight and enforcement to protect patients receiving critical cancer treatment.