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Growing Cancer Burden, Rising Concern

Cancer care in Africa has expanded rapidly in the past decade. In countries like Ethiopia and Kenya, the number of patients receiving treatment has increased from a few thousand to over 75,000 annually. However, this progress faces a serious threat: the presence of poor-quality anticancer drugs in both public and private healthcare systems.

The Study

A team of researchers from the United States and Addis Ababa University evaluated the quality of seven widely used chemotherapy medications, including cisplatin, oxaliplatin, methotrexate, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, ifosfamide, and leucovorin, in Cameroon, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Malawi. Between 2023 and 2024, the researchers collected 251 products from 12 hospitals and 25 pharmacies, testing them for active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) content using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), which is the gold standard for drug analysis.

Troubling Findings

The results were alarming: 32 out of 191 unique drug batches (17%) failed to meet acceptable API standards. Substandard or falsified drugs were found in every country, including both major cancer hospitals and private pharmacies. Visual inspection alone was insufficient to identify poor-quality drugs; only 3 out of the 32 failed products showed visible defects. “We were dismayed to find that most of the drugs tested in Ethiopia were substandard,” said the lead researcher. “Our extended study confirmed that this is a widespread issue.”

Why It Matters

Cancer chemotherapy requires precise dosing. Too little active ingredient can render treatment ineffective, allowing tumors to grow or spread. Conversely, too much can lead to severe toxicity or fatal side effects. Many regulatory agencies in Africa lack advanced testing facilities, making visual checks the primary method of inspection, an approach proven inadequate for detecting falsified drugs.

Strengthening Regulation and Surveillance

The authors call for urgent capacity building among African medicine regulators and oncology centers, emphasizing the need for routine post-market drug quality surveillance and regional laboratory networks equipped with technologies such as HPLC. They also encourage global research collaboration to replicate the success seen in improving antimalarial drug quality in the 2000s. “Information about the quality of anticancer medicines is critical because cancer chemotherapy is a careful balance between killing cancer and harming the patient,” the researchers conclude.

The Way Forward

This study highlights a critical gap in Africa’s fight against cancer, not only in access to care but also in ensuring the safety, effectiveness, and trustworthiness of the medicines used. Improving local manufacturing standards, regulatory frameworks, and post-market surveillance will be essential for safeguarding cancer treatment outcomes and strengthening public trust in Africa’s evolving health systems.

Read the full article from  The Conservation