Across India, families of cancer patients are enduring a harrowing search for essential chemotherapy treatments like cisplatin and carboplatin. The shortage, which has intensified over the past few weeks, is forcing individuals to scramble across state lines to secure basic dosages for their loved ones. Industry experts, including representatives from the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists, report that the supply chain is failing to keep pace with demand, leaving hospitals—particularly those in the public sector—struggling to provide the backbone of modern oncology care.

The crisis is largely fueled by a sharp spike in global platinum prices, driven by mining constraints and shifting industrial demand. Because the Indian government enforces strict price caps on these life-saving medicines, manufacturers are finding it increasingly difficult to cover their production costs. Many pharmaceutical companies have responded by scaling back or temporarily halting production, creating a dangerous void for patients who have few, if any, effective alternatives. Without a swift intervention from regulators to adjust pricing models, the disconnect between rising raw material costs and fixed retail prices threatens to leave thousands of patients without the life-saving treatment they desperately need.