High Rate of Defective Cancer Medications Detected in Sub-Saharan Africa

Recent research conducted by the University of Notre Dame has uncovered alarming issues related to the quality of cancer medications across several sub-Saharan African nations. The study involved analyzing 251 samples of cancer drugs collected from hospitals and private pharmacies in Cameroon, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Malawi. Researchers found that one in six of these medications contained incorrect levels of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API), with some samples showing API levels as low as 28% and others as high as 120%. To ensure safety and efficacy, regulations recommend that the API content falls within 90% to 110%. These discrepancies pose serious risks, such as inadequate treatment leading to cancer survival and spread, or toxicity from excessive dosages. The study highlights significant challenges in the regulation and quality control of cancer drugs in the region, primarily due to the absence of dedicated pharmaceutical analytical laboratories and limited regulatory capacity. Visual inspection alone proved insufficient in detecting substandard products, with most bad-quality medications not identified through simple surface checks. The findings suggest that factors like high medication demand, poor manufacturing practices, distribution, and storage contribute to the widespread prevalence of substandard drugs, which are likely present in other low- and middle-income countries as well. To address this critical issue, suggestions include deploying affordable screening technologies at points of care, enhancing regulatory oversight with better safety equipment and training, and developing rapid testing devices like the chemoPAD for quick on-site drug quality assessment. These initiatives aim to improve drug safety, protect patients, and optimize resource allocation across health systems. The research underscores the urgency of strengthening pharmaceutical quality assurance to combat the proliferation of bad-quality cancer medicines and ensure effective treatment for patients in resource-limited settings.