Cancer drugs | A critical shortage

Download AppNewsHealthCancer drugs | A critical shortage A shortage of platinum-based chemotherapy drugs is sending anxious cancer patients scrambling for essential medicines. Doctors, meanwhile, are deliberating on substitutes and delayed treatment with great caution(Illustration by Nilanjan Das / AI) A cycle of fear and anxiety is rippling through many cancer patients in India. For 57-year-old Kaashvi Rao, a stage I ovarian cancer patient from Hyderabad, a routine chemotherapy session turned into a frantic search. Visiting her in-laws in Delhi, she had planned to receive her next cycle at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. But the drug she needed was unavailable. Though advised to switch medicines, Rao chose to fly back to Hyderabad to continue treatment with the prescribed drug. Her experience reflects a shortage of two of India’s most widely used chemotherapy drugs—cisplatin and carboplatin. “India’s cancer centres are grappling with serious shortages of the most widely used chemotherapy medicines. This is not limited to one or two hospitals,” says Dr Bhawana S. Awasthy, director, Medical Oncology, CK Birla Hospital, Gurugram.