A medical shipment travelling between two Southeast Asian countries was carrying Dactinomycin, a form of cancer chemotherapy medication.

 

Findings: Publican Detected a High Risk to Public Safety

A specific batch of the Dactinomycin on board, numbered DMI2243AC, was discovered to be contaminated & not of standard quality.

 

 

The South Asian exporter was cited in March 2023 for three separate instances of contaminated batches.

 

 

In the same month, the WHO alongside authorities in Lebanon & Yemen red-flagged a chemotherapy agent made by the very same South Asian exporter, after discovering life threatening bacteria & pseudomonas in one of the batches administered to patients.

 

 

How did Publican uncover this?

By combining a thorough analysis of the declared chemotherapy drug, including the cross checking of ministry health reports, HS codes, dose measurements & specific batch numbers, with an external legal analysis that unearthed the exporter’s previous infringements—Publican concluded the shipment posed a high public safety risk.

 

Impact

Publican alerted authorities to the dangerous shipment before it was able to breach the border, allowing them to ensure important medicines that serve as a lifeline for the country’s most vulnerable cancer patients do not end up endangering them further.