Cancer survivors in Nigeria, under the Network of People Impacted by Cancer in Nigeria (NePiCiN), have urged the Federal Government to intensify efforts in combating the growing threat of counterfeit cancer drugs. According to NePiCiN President, Mrs. Gloria Orji, the high cost of cancer treatment is further aggravated by the availability of fake drugs, which not only worsen patients’ conditions but also increase financial burdens. She emphasized the need for government agencies to source medications directly from manufacturers to curb counterfeiting.
Orji shared her personal experience of unknowingly taking counterfeit hormonal drugs post-cancer diagnosis, highlighting the dangerous impact of such drugs on patient outcomes. She called for regulatory bodies such as NAFDAC, FCCPC, and the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) to be more proactive in preventing the distribution of fake drugs.
The group also expressed concerns about the lack of reliable data on cancer cases in Nigeria, stressing that counterfeit drugs contribute significantly to patient mortality. A member of NePiCiN, Dozie Akwarandu, shared his own experience with fake pain relief drugs and urged regulatory bodies to enforce existing laws and deploy technology to combat the menace of counterfeit drugs.
