Deal harshly with the group that is peddling phony cancer treatments

The rapacity of those who sold phony chemotherapy medications to cancer patients across the nation makes me think of Dr. Farid Fata, a hematologist and oncologist in Michigan (United States), who falsely and purposely misdiagnosed hundreds of his patients with cancer and gave them chemotherapy, causing them great physical and psychological suffering. He received a 45-year prison term. However, harsher measures must be taken against the dozen members of a gang that the Delhi Police detained over the over the past two weeks for peddling phony cancer treatments.

In addition to playing with the lives of cancer patients, the criminals stole their valuable money by replacing discarded empty vials of pricey cancer treatments from well-known businesses with an anti-fungal medication that costs Rs 150 and selling them to patients for Rs 2–3 lakh. Who knows how many of the people to whom the scammers sold the drugs have lived? is anybody’s guess, considering the importance of chemotherapy in treating cancer and the negative effects of postponing treatment. The group of 12 (or more) should get the worst penalty possible for systematically ending the patients’ prospects of recovery and depriving them of their basic right to life.

This is not the first shipment of counterfeit drugs into the nation, but what is concerning about it is that the illegal trade has progressed from producing phony antacids, antibiotics, and medications for diabetes, high blood pressure, and cholesterol to producing the priciest chemotherapy drugs for a range of cancers.

What is even more shocking is how easily this group of people—which included staff nurses from chemotherapy daycare centers, pharmacists with experience in chemotherapy mixing units, a senior staff nurse, a drug retailer, and the owners of two medical tourism businesses—was able to sell their fake medications to patients across the nation and to foreigners traveling here for medical care for years!

A businessman from Madhubani, Bihar, who was one of the victims the police were able to track down, said that he had purchased (spurious) Keytruda, a cancer treatment used in chemotherapy, for his wife in 2022 for Rs 3 lakh from the scam outfit. The medication was given to his wife for the last two rounds of her treatment. That year, she passed away. The same fraudulent drug was given to another guy from West Bengal for six rounds of treatment for liver cancer! The side effects of the antifungal medicine that was given to him and the repercussions of postponing the drug that is so desperately required for his therapy are still unknown. There will be an increasing number of horror tales revealed as investigations go on.

Given the scope and severity of the issue, the Union Ministry of Health must set up a coordination committee right away, made up of representatives from pharmaceutical companies, the police, state and federal drug control agencies, oncologists, and other relevant parties. This committee will be tasked with finding all of the recipients of the phony chemotherapy medications and providing them with free medication, expert medical advice, and financial assistance.

Ultimately, it is the duty of the states and the Center to guarantee the security of the pharmaceuticals dispensed inside the nation and to stop the production and distribution of counterfeit medications. They also have an obligation to protect the people’ basic rights to health care and safe medications, which arise from their right to life. The simple fact that this scheme has persisted since 2022 demonstrates how completely ineffective the regulatory framework has been in safeguarding consumers!

Gaining the victims’ identities and statements will help the prosecution’s case, since there may be hundreds of them. According to the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, individuals found guilty of using a fake drug that has resulted in death or is likely to cause serious harm face a minimum 10-year prison sentence, a maximum of a life sentence, and a fine equal to three times the value of the drugs that were seized, or at least Rs 10 lakh. Additionally, the legislation stipulates that the victims or their relatives would get compensation in the form of this fine.

Additionally, the government need to use a petition authorized by the Consumer Protection Act to demand fair compensation from the offenders. In actuality, justice would not be served until every victim has been located and fairly paid.