Indian Cancer Patients Face Shortage of Key Chemotherapy Drugs as Platinum Prices Surge

Cancer patients across India are struggling to obtain platinum-based chemotherapy drugs as a sharp rise in the price of the raw material squeezes manufacturers and depletes hospital stockpiles, forcing patients to scour pharmacies for supplies.

Kumar Ajit, a 52-year-old bank employee, spent more than a week calling dozens of pharmacies before locating cisplatin — a platinum-based drug needed to treat his 70-year-old mother's liver cancer. He eventually sourced the medicine in New Delhi and had it shipped to his village in the eastern state of Bihar. "I could not even get the desired dosage," he said. "I'm unsure what I will do for the next dose."

India depends on imported platinum, with supplies from major producers including South Africa disrupted by price surges and Middle East conflict, according to doctors and industry executives. Rajiv Singhal, general secretary of the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists, which represents 1.24mn members, said the situation had deteriorated sharply in recent weeks. "There has been a supply crunch for two months, but it has become worse over the last two weeks with a shortage," he said. "Drug distributors have been calling us complaining that they're not getting these drugs."

India's platinum-based chemotherapy market is supplied by a range of generic manufacturers, including Cipla (CIPL) and Intas Pharmaceuticals, as well as smaller oncology specialists such as Naprod Life Sciences and Venus Remedies (VENR). Doctors and distributors said availability of cisplatin and carboplatin — used to treat lung, ovarian and gallbladder cancers — has been severely constrained. Pavan Kumar, of Kethan Pharma Distributors in Hyderabad, said he receives roughly ten calls a day from patients seeking cisplatin.

Doctors estimate at least a quarter of India's chemotherapy patients have been prescribed platinum-based drugs. "They have been a backbone for cancer treatment," said Mintu Mathew Abraham, a consultant oncologist at PRS Hospital in Kerala. "Without them, it would be hard to continue treatment."

Platinum prices have rallied on expectations of a fourth consecutive year of market deficits, driven by constrained mine supply, robust investment demand and dwindling inventories, as the metal increasingly displaces palladium in automotive applications.

The price pressures have placed manufacturers in a bind. India's government caps medicine prices, preventing companies from passing on higher input costs. Drugmakers have sought price cap increases of roughly 50%, but India's pharmaceuticals department did not respond to requests for comment.

Naprod Life Sciences has temporarily halted production of both cisplatin and carboplatin. "The shortage is primarily driven by a steep increase in platinum prices," said Mohan Jain, a director at the company, noting that the cost of platinum had risen to 5,000 rupees ($52.30) per gram over the past year, up from around 2,000 rupees. Venus Remedies, which supplies government hospitals, said it has been absorbing losses but is now cautious about accepting new contracts. "If those caps are not adjusted in line with rising costs, the supply chain comes under pressure," said executive director Saransh Chaudhary. "Companies cannot absorb the full increase, so patients ultimately bear the impact and shortages persist."

Doctors warn there are few viable substitutes for platinum-based drugs, with alternatives often proving less effective or more toxic.