A patient receiving treatment at the Maharagama Apeksha Hospital was allegedly compelled to purchase an unregistered cancer drug from a private pharmacy for nearly Rs. 30,000 due to its unavailability at the hospital, Specialist Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa has revealed.
Dr. Sanjeewa, Chairman of the Doctors' Trade Union Alliance for Medical and Civil Rights, said the patient had been advised by hospital staff to obtain Doxorubicin Hydrochloride Liposomal Injection 50mg/25ml from an external pharmacy as the medicine was not in stock at the hospital.
The drug was purchased from a pharmacy located opposite the Apeksha Hospital under the brand name “Lipopod,” which was labelled as being manufactured by Celon Laboratory Pvt Ltd in Telangana, India.
However, subsequent investigations revealed that this particular medicine was not registered with the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA), raising serious concerns over its safety and legality.
According to Dr. Sanjeewa, after the drug was administered, the patient showed no improvement, forcing doctors to prescribe an additional medicine. As a result, the total treatment cost reportedly increased to around Rs. 55,000.
Dr. Sanjeewa said this incident highlights the dangers faced by cancer patients due to the ongoing drug shortages in government hospitals and the unchecked sale of unregistered medicines in nearby pharmacies.
He has requested the NMRA to explain what legal framework allows such medicines to be sold, whether price regulations exist for these drugs, and what action has been taken against the pharmacies and agents involved.
