HOCKING research by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism has revealed that essential chemotherapy drugs for the treatment of breast cancer, leukaemia, and other serious illnesses are being sold with incorrect quantities of their key ingredients. A probe carried out in collaboration with the University of Notre Dame showed that nearly 20pc of samples from four African countries failed quality tests. These drugs, most commonly generics, are widely used by over 100 countries, including Pakistan. Most of the failed drugs had very low amounts of the active ingredient, such as less than 88pc of the value stated on the label, while some contained too much, more than 112pc in some cases. Consequently, some patients got less than half the needed dose effectively no treatment at all while others got too much, triggering toxic side effects such as vomiting and organ damage. One pharmacist described it as `heartbreaking`; for many patients, the drugs they had pinned their hopes on were either useless or lethal.

The unchecked pursuit of profit within a poorly regulated global pharmaceutical market is to blame for this tragedy. Generic drugs, while important for affordable cancer care, are increasingly being produced by manufacturers who cut corners with impunity.

Sixteen of the 17 companies identified in this investigation are based in India, which supplies 20pc of the world`s generics. Several manufacturers have been repeatedly flagged for quality violations one was flagged 46 times yet they continue to win contracts and licences from global bodies. Even the WHO`s oversight mechanisms appear insufficient. Regulatory frameworks in lowerincome countries are either too weak or too poorly funded to test these drugs before they reach patients. In Nepal, for instance, the regulator aims to test just 22 medicines next year none of them chemotherapy drugs. This is unacceptable. Cancer patients have a very narrow life-saving window and in this period if they are given substandard medication, it is not just malpractice, it is an utter moral failure. To fix this, regulators must work together more closely. Countries like Pakistan need stronger drug watchdogs, with more money, better labs and the power to act. Buyers must stop awarding contracts to firms with a track record of failure. And the WHO must expand its cancer drug list and insist on tougher checks for all suppliers. Cancer is cruel enough. Let us not make the cure just as deadly.