A pharmacist in Lebanon. (Credit: File photo/Hussam Shbaro/AFP)
BEIRUT — Lebanon's Ministry of Health on Wednesday ordered the withdrawal of a contaminated batch of cancer drugs that were smuggled into the country after the World Health Organization (WHO) warned against its presence on the local market.
In a statement, the ministry called for the withdrawal of contaminated boxes of Methotrex 50mg from pharmacies, saying that the drug is not officially registered with the ministry. It also assured that it will take the necessary measures against those who smuggled the drug into Lebanon.
"Following adverse events in patients treated with Methotrex 50mg, health authorities in Yemen and Lebanon conducted microbiological tests on unopened vials of the drug," the WHO announced Wednesday. "The results in both countries were positive for Pseudomonas aeruginosa (a microorganism that causes acute or chronic infections, sometimes serious and fatal; editor's note), indicating contamination of the products."
The manufacturer of the product, Celon Laboratories Pvt Ltd, confirmed to WHO that the combination of the batch number, its manufacture and expiration dates is adequate. At this stage, the manufacturer has not had access to samples of the contaminated products to perform its own confirmatory testing.
WHO noted that the batch of Methotrex 50mg was intended to be "sold exclusively in the Indian market," noting that the batch available in Yemen and Lebanon was "obtained outside the regulatory supply chain."
"Therefore, the declared manufacturer cannot guarantee the safety of this product which was not intended for these markets," the WHO added.
The president of the Order of Pharmacists, Joe Salloum, could not be reached immediately by L'Orient-Le Jour. However, he told the news website el-Nashra earlier Wednesday that "the material found in the drug could be fatal for a healthy person," fearing that it could be even more harmful to children suffering from cancer.