Chennai: The Tamil Nadu Health Department has advised government hospitals to use alternative chemotherapy medicines based on each patient’s condition, as a shortage has been reported in certain key cancer drugs.
Combination chemotherapy is commonly administered through blood vessels for cancers such as breast, colon and gastrointestinal cancers. These regimens often include one platinum-based drug—cisplatin, carboplatin or oxaliplatin—along with other medicines.
Officials said many of these drugs and their raw materials are largely imported. Due to the US–Iran war situation, taxes and prices on platinum have risen sharply, and imports of pharmaceutical materials through the Strait of Hormuz have also been affected.
As a result, the price of cisplatin, carboplatin and oxaliplatin—typically sold for under Rs 500—has increased by three to five times in India, according to the report. The State Medical Services Corporation, which procures medicines for government hospitals, held discussions with Health Department officials after the shortage was flagged.
Corporation officials said that while over 400 medicines are used in cancer care, supplies of three to four drugs have been disrupted nationwide. Hospitals have been permitted to purchase from the market at higher prices if available, and oncologists have been instructed to use appropriate alternatives until supplies stabilise. Health Secretary Tharez Ahmed said steps are being taken to ensure uninterrupted availability and expressed hope that distribution will normalise soon.
