A major investigation by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ) has revealed that vital chemotherapy drugs—used to treat common cancers such as breast, ovarian, and leukemia—are failing quality tests and putting patients in over 100 countries at risk. The study analyzed 189 samples of seven widely used cancer drugs: cisplatin, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, ifosfamide, leucovorin, methotrexate, and oxaliplatin, all on the World Health Organization’s essential medicines list.
The results were deeply concerning:
- About one in five samples failed quality tests.
- Most failed drugs contained too little active ingredient—for most, less than 88% of the amount stated on the label.
- Some contained too much-more than 112% of the stated dose.
- In some cases, pills from the same blister pack had different amounts of the active ingredient, undermining trust in the treatment process
Doctors and pharmacists worldwide reported patients suddenly becoming unresponsive to treatment or suffering severe, sometimes life-threatening, side effects. In some instances, patients showed no expected side effects at all, raising suspicions that the drugs were ineffective. Others experienced toxic reactions due to overdosing, forcing them to halt treatment and giving cancer a chance to progress
The journey from manufacturer to patient is complex and fraught with risk. Drugs pass through multiple stages—factories, storage, shipping, local distribution, and finally hospitals and pharmacies. At each stage, poor manufacturing practices, inadequate quality control, or improper storage can compromise drug safety. In low- and middle-income countries, limited regulatory oversight and weak infrastructure make it even harder to detect and prevent these failures. According to Chaitanya Kumar Koduri of the US Pharmacopeia, a member of Fight the Fakes Alliance, “70% of countries cannot take care of their own medicine quality”.
The findings underscore the urgent need for stronger global collaboration and regulatory standards to ensure that all patients receive safe, effective cancer medicines.
The full article is available on TBIJ’s website here: https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2025-06-25/bad-cancer-drugs-shipped-to-more-than-100-countries-around-the-world
