Govt approves price hike for crucial cancer drugs amid shortage scare

The Indian government has approved a price increase for platinum-based cancer drugs like Cisplatin and Carboplatin following an acute shortage. Experts have warned the unavailability of these drugs poses a critical threat to cancer care nationwide.

The Government of India on Wednesday approved the increase in price of the disappear cancer drugs, which are platinum-based. The decision has been taken after the unavailability of crucial cancer drugs and medical experts' concerns for the cancer patients.

The chemotherapy drugs like Cisplatin and Carboplatin have become a threat to cancer care treatment. According to sources, the government has given a go-ahead to Cisplatin and Carboplatin, the two anti-tetanus injections, after seeing the price rise of platinum leading companies going into losses and stopping the manufacturing or stocking of the drugs.

The government has been considering the increase in price of 82 other medicines. "NPPA has sought its opinion from DOP regarding prices of 82 medicines which were checked by the interministerial committee, where the request has been made for an increase in the price of medicines of the war crisis," said sources.

'Critical Threat to Cancer Care': AIIMS Expert

Top experts from hospitals like AIIMS, Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital and Private Cancer Hospitals told ANI about the shortage of chemotherapy drugs leading to delays and a threat to cancer patients. According to a top expert from AIIMS Delhi, these drugs play a crucial role in the treatment of cancer, such as head and neck, lung, ovarian, bladder, and gastrointestinal cancers.

"I view the reported shortage of cisplatin and carboplatin as a critical threat to cancer care. These platinum-based agents are backbone drugs in treating common malignancies--head and neck, lung, ovarian, bladder, and gastrointestinal cancers. In my practice, I frequently integrate them with surgery as HIPEC and in multimodal protocols; their absence compromises neoadjuvant and adjuvant strategies, directly impacting survival and recurrence rates."

He further said that disruptions of these drugs can worsen the treatment. "Prolonged disruptions force clinicians to substitute with less effective regimens or delay treatment, both of which worsen outcomes. For operable disease, neoadjuvant chemotherapy may be withheld, converting potentially curable cases into unresectable ones. In palliative settings, symptom control and quality of life deteriorate without adequate systemic therapy."

"We need immediate intervention: expediting domestic production, strategic stockpiling by national programs, and transparent supply-chain oversight. Till then, patient counselling must be honest about risks, and multidisciplinary teams must prioritise the most vulnerable cases. This crisis reminds us that surgical oncology cannot succeed without reliable access to essential chemotherapy," he said regarding prioritising these drugs for vulnerable cases.

Chemists' Body Points to Raw Material Shortage

The drugs Cisplatin and carboplatin are linked to the shortage Beauregard of limited availability of platinum-based raw material. "The current shortage of Cisplatin, Carboplatin and certain other oncology medicines is primarily linked to the limited availability of platinum-based raw materials globally over the past few months. Industry sources have indicated that this is a supply-chain challenge and not a pricing issue. Manufacturers are making every effort to secure adequate raw materials and restore normal supplies. Considering the critical importance of these medicines for cancer treatment, we urge the Government of India to facilitate the availability of essential raw materials so that patients do not face any disruption in therapy," said Rajiv Singhal, General Secretary, All India Organisation of Chemists & Druggists (AIOCD).

Doctors Across India Raise Alarm

Dr Mansi Khanderia, Senior Consultant -Medical Oncology, SPARSH Hospitals, Bengaluru, said, "Shortage of some essential chemotherapy drugs like cisplatin and carboplatin is a very serious concern since these medicines form the foundation of treatment for several kinds of cancers, including lungs, ovarian, bladder, head and neck and testicular cancers as well. Any delay or disruption in their availability can directly impact the timelines of treatments, outcomes and confidence of patients. Cancer-related care is very time sensitive, and patients should not have to face uncertainty around access to life-saving medicines. There is also an urgent need for stronger supply chain planning, a transparent level of monitoring, and well-coordinated access to ensure uninterrupted availability of critical cancer drugs for every kind of patient who needs them."

Dr Niti Raizada, Principal Director - Medical Oncology & Hemato-Oncology, Fortis Hospitals, Bengaluru, said, "Cisplatin and Carboplatin are among the most important and widely used chemotherapy drugs in oncology. They form the backbone of treatment for several common cancers, such as lung, head and neck, cervical, ovarian, bladder, and testicular cancers. In many situations, these medicines are used with a cure-driven intent, so they play a crucial role in improving survival and overall treatment outcomes. The patients who would feel any shortage the most are typically those already undergoing active chemotherapy, especially people with newly diagnosed cancers, patients receiving simultaneous chemoradiation, and those whose treatment protocols specifically ask for platinum-based drugs. When limited availability happens, it can seriously slow timely cancer care and disrupt treatment planning."

"Yes, shortages of these drugs can disrupt treatment schedules. In some situations, chemotherapy cycles may need to be delayed until the medication becomes available, while in others, oncologists may have to consider alternative treatment regimens based on the patient's condition and cancer type. However, alternatives may not always offer the same level of evidence or suitability as the standard platinum-based protocol. Such disruptions can create significant anxiety for patients and clinicians alike, particularly when treatment is being given with curative intent, where maintaining the planned schedule is extremely important for achieving the best possible outcomes," she said.

Pharma Companies Halt Production Over Pricing: Oncologist

According to Dr Shayam Aggarwal, Chairperson, Medical Oncology, Sir Gangaram Hospital, "In the entire country, we are facing a shortage of two extremely potent and commonly used anti-cancer drugs, the names being cis-platinum and carboplatinum. There is an acute shortage of these drugs we have been facing for the last two to three weeks, and now in the pharmacy of our hospital and our sister hospital, you know, sister hospital, we don't have the availability of cisplatin and carboplatinum. So these two drugs are extremely potent, and they are used in first-line therapy for a variety of cancers which are common in India, like lung cancer, oral cancer, cervical cancer, uterine cancer, ovarian cancer, testicular cancer and so on."

He further said that doctors have discussed the shortage of medicines with pharmaceutical companies. "So nearly 60-70% of patients who have advanced cancer they do require cisplatin or carboplatinum. So since we've been facing this difficulty for the last two three weeks we started to discuss this matter with the pharmaceutical companies as to why it is short and the explanation being given by the companies is that these two drugs come under DPCO where the government has fixed an MRP and so the problem which has happened possibly due to the Gulf War that the API that is the you know active ingredient is imported from South Africa and Russia and other countries so because of the shortage of that product the price has gone up of the API and unfortunately as a result of that the cost of manufacturing cis-platinum and carboplatinum has increased but then that doesn't match the MRP fixed by the government of India because of the DPCO product. So we are facing, and patients are suffering because of the lack of availability of these two drugs, so patients are asked to procure their own drug from whatever source, maybe from other companies or from other pharmacies where there's some stock, you know, pending has not been used because most of the companies have stopped manufacturing cisplatin and carboplatinum."

"So I think it's an extremely important issue because these two drugs are life-saving and very, very commonly used in most of the common cancers worldwide. So I appealed to the government of India to look into the matter, and you know, request the pharma companies to start manufacturing the cisplatin and carboplatin so that the patients do not suffer," he said. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)