TN advises alternative chemo drugs amid shortage, price surge
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.
