While access to cancer treatment has improved in Kenya over the past decade, growing concerns about the quality and authenticity of cancer drugs are putting thousands of lives at risk. A recent study by Professor Nancy Dee from the University of Notre Dame highlights the worrying trend of counterfeit and substandard cancer medicines circulating in Kenya and other African nations.
According to the findings, cancer care in Kenya has expanded significantly, with over 75,000 people now receiving treatment each year up from just a few thousand a decade ago. However, this progress is being undermined by weak drug regulation and the infiltration of falsified medicines into both public and private healthcare systems.
“The high cost of cancer drugs encourages the use of unverified and often unsafe alternatives,” Prof. Dee noted. “Combined with limited regulatory oversight, this creates a market highly vulnerable to substandard and falsified medical products.”
In 2023 and 2024, researchers collected 251 anticancer products from hospitals and pharmacies in Kenya, Ethiopia, Cameroon, and Malawi. Shockingly, 17% of the samples tested were found to contain incorrect quantities of active ingredients—rendering them either ineffective or potentially harmful.
The study revealed that these low-quality medicines were not only found in smaller clinics but also in major cancer hospitals, raising concerns about patient safety across all levels of care.
Experts are now calling for urgent government action to strengthen the Pharmacy and Poisons Board’s capacity to monitor drug quality and ensure that cancer patients receive safe, effective, and affordable treatment.
As Kenya continues to battle rising cancer cases, the integrity of its drug supply chain has become a matter of life and death—demanding immediate attention from policymakers and health regulators alike.
